Division of Forces
by crazyundeadfairy
Summary: ObiWan is sent on a mission without Anakin. Contains ObiWanAnakin slash. COMPLETE.
1. Part I

Part I

Anakin could still remember the the first heavy rainstorm he'd witnessed. It was roughly a month after Obi-Wan had begun instructing him in the ways of the Force. Even with all of the new knowledge he had gained since leaving Tatooine, Anakin had still been awed by the sight of so much rain pouring down from the heavens. His failure to heed Obi-Wan's warning to stay indoors had left him sick for much of the following week.

Still, nearly ten years later, Anakin found it impossible to remain indoors when the clouds unleashed such a torrent. He stood on the balcony that opened from the common room in their quarters, his right hand held out from under the protective overhang so that the rain spattered onto his fingertips. The rain beaded against his skin, pooling in the indentations between his fingers.

Bringing his hand back under the awning, Anakin shook the moisture from the limb before removing his outer robes. Glancing over his shoulder even though he knew the room to be empty, Anakin stepped fully into the rain. He tilted his head back, eyes closed and allowed the rain to soak into him. The two tunics that he wore received the brunt of the rain's effects, the linen fabric offering little protection. Had it not been for the speeders and other personal crafts zooming past the balcony he would have shed all his clothes in order to feel the rain more completely.

Had he seen him, Obi-Wan would have no doubt laughed at him. His master had always found his fascination with water amusing. Obi-Wan was an indulgent mentor, though. When Anakin was fourteen, Obi-Wan had taken him to one of the moons of of Endor. This moon was riddled with rivers and waterfalls, an unexpected treat for a boy who had grown up on a desert planet. They had been unable to stay as long as Anakin would have liked, but the memory remained vivid during the years that had passed.

"I thought we had come to the agreement that standing in the rain was decidedly harmful to an individual's health. Yours in particular."

Anakin grimaced at the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. He had been so caught up in his memories that he had not paid any attention to what was happening around him. He should have sensed, if not physically heard, his master's return to their shared quarters.

Turning slowly, Anakin met Obi-Wan's gaze briefly before bowing his head. "I sought to clear my mind, release any negative thoughts in my subconscious."

"A noble intention," Obi-Wan conceded, the corners of his lips curving upwards ever so slightly. "I would suggest in the future, though, that you seek such meditations in the fresher. There you will at least be able to control the temperature of the water. Come now, back indoors."

With one final glance skyward, Anakin reluctantly stepped back into the building. Obi-Wan ushered him immediately towards the fresher, ordering him to removed his soaked clothes while he began to pat the younger man dry with a fresh towel. This last act was done in silence. Whatever his master's intentions were, Anakin could not sense. Anakin meanwhile allowed himself a small measure of comfort as Obi-Wan smoothed the towel over his body, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. He reveled in every touch, which seemed to be a caress.

"You, my young padawan, will one day be the death of me," Obi-Wan said lightly as he rose to his full height which, over the past year, had become shorter than Anakin's own. "Now go put on some dry clothes while I prepare you something hot to drink."

Anakin did as he was instructed without second thought. Entering his own sleeping quarters he dressed in a pair of dark brown trousers and a loose, black tunic. His feet he left bare, preferring to feel of the ground beneath his soles. He felt far more grounded barefoot, linking him to the world around him not only through the Force, but through physical contact as well.

As he emerged into the common area a short while later, Obi-Wan was already seated on the sofa. Anakin himself felt oddly subdued as he padded across the room, stopping near the arm of the sofa opposite from where his master sat. His hesitation was long enough for Obi-Wan to notice and look up. Before their eyes had a chance to meet, Anakin scurried around the arm of the sofa, stepping one foot onto the cushion nearest his end, swinging the rest of his body up so that he sat cross-legged. It surprised him that with this position he faced Obi-Wan fully for he had meant to face away from the older man.

"Much better, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured, handing over one of the steaming mugs in his hands. "It has been some time since you partook in that particular activity."

Anakin stared down into the mug he held in his lap. "You had been stranded on that system in the Outer Rim and no one could get in contact with you. The Council feared the worst."

"When in fact it had simply been my own less than exemplar piloting skills that led to the whole mishap," Obi-Wan admitted, his lips quirking slightly. "I believe that is how you managed to convince the Council that you should be allowed to upgrade my arfour unit with all of those after market alterations. I have not crashed a starfighter or personal shuttle since. Which begs the question of what it is that is troubling you this time."

"I do not care much for this new mission you have been given," Anakin admitted, pursing his lips.

Obi-Wan twisted his upper body so that he faced the younger man more fully. Then he lifted his left hand, touching it to Anakin's temple. Anakin leaned immediately into the touch, savouring the wash of comfort that it filled him with. He focused on the feel of his master's fingertips which did not stray far from his temple, venturing briefly into his short-cropped hair for a moment before returning to their earlier location.

"It will only be for a few days, Anakin. Not even a full week," Obi-Wan reminded him, not withdrawing his hand as Anakin tilted his head into the Jedi's palm. "I had thought you would rejoice from the reprieve you have been given from my constant supervision."

"The Council's orders are too contradictory. They say that I may not accompany you because it is too dangerous, yet they send you alone. If something should go wrong you could be killed or captured before the Council even knew about it." Anakin turned his face fully into Obi-Wan's palm so that the older man would not see the tears glittering in his eyes. "They should not endanger you so."

Obi-Wan shifted about slightly and then Anakin felt the mug being extracted from his hands. Even as Obi-Wan moved to set the mug aside he did not remove his hand from Anakin's cheek, something which greatly comforted the younger man. Obi-Wan fanned his fingers across Anakin's still exposed cheek, thumb ghosting over the upper swell of his cheekbone.

"You worry needlessly, Anakin. I have been to this system before and have friends there," his master assured him as he carefully nudged Anakin's head back around to face him.

Anakin blinked repeatedly to hide his tears before meeting Obi-Wan's gaze. "If it is so safe why am I not permitted to accompany you? I am your padawan learner and I can hardly be expected to learn if I am stuck here on Coruscant."

Obi-Wan's eyes twinkled with amusement that immediately helped to soothe his nerves. "You are, as you so delicately put it, 'stuck here' because of your penchant for finding trouble where none otherwise exists."

"Oh."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan grinned, allowing his right arm to fall away. His left hand remained where it was and he leaned his elbow against the back of the sofa to support it. "Matters are somewhat delicate at the moment and both the Council and the Senate would prefer it if we could refrain from more aggressive negotiations for the time being."

While he understood the Council's logic, Anakin didn't agree with it. He would not agree to anything that left Obi-Wan trapped on an alien planet with no back-up. If anything should go wrong on the mission, Obi-Wan could be in serious trouble before any aid the Council could send would arrive. Imprisonment, torture, death; all of those were practically guarantees that the Council was ensuring by sending Obi-Wan to the Ranth'fer system alone.

"You could tell the Council that you were unaware that I had hidden myself on your shuttle," Anakin suggested, staring up at his master hopefully.

Obi-Wan smiled at him fondly, but still shook his head. "I cannot allow it, Anakin, and you know it. The Council has made its decision and it is not for us to question it."

Though he still felt the need to argue, Anakin remained silent. There was no point to it. Obi-Wan would follow the Council's directives above all else. And while Anakin respected his master for his utter faith in his beliefs, it was at times utterly frustrating. Anakin couldn't do that. Like Obi-Wan he believed in the philosophies of the Order, but he couldn't follow them as steadfastly as his master. After ten years it was unlikely that he ever would.

"Do not think for one moment that I believe you have given up so easily," Obi-Wan chided, leaning back to retrieve the mugs of tea. "You are far too tenacious, my young padawan."

"You are my master. It is natural that I should be concerned for you."

Obi-Wan nodded his head slightly and took a minute sip of his tea. "So I see that it is my sentiments you will play against. How very underhanded of you."

Anakin's smile was unrepentant even if it didn't entirely reach his eyes. "I am only doing as I myself was taught, master. Was it not you who used such tactics to reveal to me the truth of Palpatine's intentions?"

"I merely appealed to your better judgment," Obi-Wan amended, his lips tilted up in a slight smile. "I was most relieved to find some of it remaining."

Anakin scowled, but did not retaliate verbally. He was content at the moment to enjoy Obi-Wan's presence for as long as it would be allowed. For Anakin to simply be near his master was a soothing balm to his soul. It had been so for many years. There had been many nights those first few months on Coruscant that Anakin had been woken by nightmares. Those nights, once he had woken, Anakin had climbed into Obi-Wan's bed where he'd sleep peacefully until dawn. Even when he was older, Obi-Wan would not turn him away.

That night was no exception. The exception was that he did not even attempt to sleep in his own bed. He followed Obi-Wan into his sleeping quarters, hovering near the door until his master noticed him. For a time, Obi-Wan didn't say a word as he stripped out of his clothing, donning a pair of loose sleep pants.

"You do not intend to sleep fully dressed, do you?"

Anakin released a shuddering breath, dispelling his fears into the Force. He could not manage to rid himself of all his fears, though. Not with Obi-Wan still intending to leave come morning. He could not help but fear for his master.

"You worry too much, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured against his temple as he drew the younger man into his arms. "It is not for a Jedi to worry so over matters that are not within their control."

"It would be within my control if the Council would allow me to accompany you to Ranth'fer," Anakin protested as he attempted to mold his body to Obi-Wan's.

"This is likely a test for you. It is the Council's way of seeing whether you will obey orders that are not necessarily to your liking," Obi-Wan offered, sinking his fingers into Anakin's hair. "It is a test we all must endure at some point during our times as padawans. As you can well imagine, mine involved a great deal of flying.

Anakin allowed himself a brief smile. He had never been able to comprehend how a being who had traveled the galaxy as extensively as his master could be so nervous about flying. Anakin suspected that there had been some type of crash or accident when Obi-Wan had been younger; some mishap that had created his master's well documented phobia.

Lying wrapped in Obi-Wan's arms, Anakin began to feel much more relaxed. The uneasy humming that had been buzzing in the back of his mind faded almost to non-existence. As he hadn't wanted to leave Obi-Wan for the time it would take to go to his own room, Anakin wore a pair of sleep pants borrowed from the older man. The bed they lay in was no different than the single bed in Anakin's own room. Jedi were not meant to form attachments so there was no need to give Obi-Wan a larger bed. Anakin was glad that the bed was small as it gave him an excuse to lie so close to Obi-Wan that they were pressed together from shoulders to knees, their legs entwined.

And though he had stopped wishing for things long ago, Anakin pleaded with the Force to keep his master safe on his mission to Ranth'fer.


	2. Part II

**Part II**

When he awoke in the morning, Anakin was alone. Reaching out with the Force he couldn't sense Obi-Wan anywhere in their quarters, or in the Jedi Temple itself. Through their training bond he could still feel his master's presence, though at a great distance. He was likely already nearing Ranth'fer.

Rolling onto his stomach, Anakin hugged Obi-Wan's pillow to him, inhaling his master's scent. He had no desire to get up yet. It was not very Jedi-like to sulk, but Anakin did not feel much like a Jedi at the moment. As long as he remained still and silent he could sense Obi-Wan more clearly.

He was a Jedi, though, and he had responsibilities that eventually drove him from the comfort of Obi-Wan's bed. He rolled off the mattress, landing crouched next to the bed. Stretching his arms over his head, Anakin rose up to his full height as he allowed the limbs to drop back down to his sides. It felt strange to be in Obi-Wan's room without the older man being there. He never would have considered entering his master's quarters unless Obi-Wan himself was in the room. The two men respected one another's privacy which Anakin was grateful for. As his master, Obi-Wan would have had every right to enter Anakin's room without permission.

As he brought a hand up to cover a yawn, Anakin noticed a datapad lying on the floor just in front of the door. Knowing that Obi-Wan would not leave one lying about, Anakin hurried over to see what message his master had left for him. It was a voice recording rather than the schedule Anakin had expected it to be.

_"I thought it would be best if I left before you awoke in order to us further arguments. The will of the Council is its own and I would not have you act against it. I am fully aware of the dangers on Ranth'fer and will not place myself in danger unnecessarily. On this you have my sworn word. Attend to your studies and do not fret overmuch. I will return as soon as I am able. May the Force be with you, Anakin."_

"And with you as well, my master," Anakin murmured once the recording had finished.

* * *

Obi-Wan relaxed when his shuttle set down on the desert landscape of Ranth'fer. There was still a great deal of danger involved in this mission, but Obi-Wan was simply relieved to once again be on solid ground. After giving instructions to his flight crew to wait for his return, Obi-Wan disembarked, heading directly to the nearby settlement. According to new intelligence, the Council had received the leaders of the Trade Federation and other separatist supporters had been meeting on the obscure planet. And while there had been no open conflict between the two factions, the Jedi Council was concerned nonetheless.

What had Obi-Wan the most concerned was that Anakin had not been permitted to accompany him on this mission. From what he understood it was the Senate that had thought it best to send a single Jedi rather than a master and padawan pair. The Council had agreed, deciding that subtlety was the best course. Obi-Wan had to trust that the Council was acting of its own accord and not merely following the directives of the Senate.

In the course of the past year Obi-Wan had made himself a very powerful enemy in the Senate. He was the one who had unmasked the Supreme Chancellor's intentions for Anakin. Palpatine would have made Anakin his unwitting spy. The boy could be far too trusting to those he believed his friends and Palpatine had made sure to gain Anakin's friendship long ago. The Chancellor had then used that bond to his advantage, coaxing information out of Anakin under the guise of friendship.

_"Palpatine is my friend, master. He would not ask me to betray the Order," Anakin insisted hotly, stalking about the common room of their quarters._

_"Not outright, no," Obi-Wan conceded. "The Chancellor is a politician, though, and not all things that they do are meant to be obvious. At least not among the successful of their trade."_

It was Palpatine himself who had ultimately revealed his deceptions. The aging politician had been far too confident of his hold over Anakin and tried to turn him against Obi-Wan. Palpatine had claimed that Obi-Wan was holding him back from achieving his full potential so that he would not be outdone by a mere upstart of a boy. He then suggested that Anakin bring his case before the Council and request a new master.

_"Obi-Wan loves me."_

_"Obi-Wan uses you. You are the Chosen One, my dear boy, and his prestige is enhanced by his position as your master. It is a role that he fears to lose and so he keeps you bound to him as a padawan when you are clearly more powerful than any other Jedi on the Council. It is a conspiracy against you, Anakin," Palpatine attempted to convince the younger man._

_"If you had any concept of the Jedi Code or Obi-Wan you would realize just how false that statement is. Obi-Wan treats me as an equal in almost all things."_

_"Almost," Palpatine stressed._

_"I'm a student. There is much that I still need to learn and I would not choose to learn from anyone but Obi-Wan."_

Obi-Wan learned about this all afterwards, Anakin confessing it to him later that night. Anakin had been frantic, needing to prove to himself that Palpatine had been mistaken. That night had been the first in many years that Anakin had slept in Obi-Wan's bed, seeking comfort from his master in the wake of uneasy dreams. It was not in him to deny Anakin when the boy asked for so little.

Eager to return to Coruscant, Obi-Wan hurried towards the settlement. As it was nearing dusk it was safer to be within the settlement walls once the sun set. There was a sudden chill wind that slammed into Obi-Wan's face. He pulled the hood of his cloak down over his forehead and wrapped it more tightly around his body. There was something ominous about the wind; a foulness that seemed to surround Obi-Wan. It had no source that he could discern and that worried the Jedi most.

"It has been reported that Master Kenobi has reached Ranth'fer, my lord," Palpatine's secretary announced as he entered the Chancellor's office.

Palpatine looked up from his work, a slow smile spreading across his lips. "Very good. I trust that you have informed our contacts there."

"Yes, my lord. They are searching out Master Kenobi at this very instant."

* * *

"Uneasy, you are, young Skywalker."

Anakin turned away from the fountain, his fingers still dipped into the pool at the fountain's base. He didn't deny Yoda's claim, pursing his lips instead as he glanced down at the floor. He had come to the meditation room in hopes of clearing his mind enough to better focus on his bond with Obi-Wan.

"Worry for you master, you do."

"Why did the Council send him to the Ranth'fer system alone?" Anakin demanded of the minute Jedi master. "I should have been allowed to accompany him. That's the nature of a master/padawan relationship."

"Correct in this, you are. And you with Obi-Wan, we should have," Yoda admitted, taking hold of his walking stick with both hands and leaning his weight on it.

Rather than feeling relieved to have himself vindicated, Anakin only became more worried about his master. Someone had purposely made the decision to place Obi-Wan in danger. The Jedi Council had consented to place one of their own in a dangerous situation without any immediate support.

"Why wasn't I sent with him?"

"Order of the Senate, it was," Yoda informed the young man. "Less chance of discovery with only one Jedi, there is. Unfortunately, dangerous to the single Jedi."

Anakin shot to his feet, water from the fountain splashing against his leg. "The Senate ordered this? Since when does the Senate have such control over the Jedi?"

"Control yourself, young Skywalker, you must. To give into such anger is to give into the Dark Side. A danger this is, with power as great as yours," Yoda cautioned, stepping into the path of Anakin's restless pacing. "Be calm, center yourself. Fine Obi-Wan will be. Strong with the Force, he is. Worry not, return to us your master will."

While others may have been reassured by the Jedi Master's words, Anakin could find no comfort in them. They were only words. Hollow words at that because they would not protect Obi-Wan from the dangers that awaited him in the Outer Rim.

"If you will excuse me, Master, I have lessons to attend to," Anakin murmured, bowing to the smaller being.

"Attend to your lessons, you should. Expect it, Obi-Wan would."

A brief smile flickered across Anakin's lips at the truth of Yoda's words. Obi-Wan was a very strict taskmaster and would be upset if Anakin fell behind in his lessons. Already he could envision the lecture he would receive if he didn't follow the schedule his master had set up for him in his usual meticulous manner.

* * *

Obi-Wan strode through the merchant sector of the settlement in search of the one belonging to Shinda Ma'ha, a spice trader he had met on a previous visit to Ranth'fer. Shinda was quite adept at discovering what politicians and aristocrats would rather keep from the general public. Obi-Wan hoped that she would have the information that would save him much unnecessary time in the Ranth'fer system. Like many other systems in the Outer Rim, Ranth'fer was a haven for criminals and rather unsavory business practices.

"And here I was hoping that the Republic had forgotten about us."

Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks, a smile curving his lips. Rotating on his heel, he turned towards the blue-haired humanoid. What confused him was not that her hair was not deep shade of violet, but that she was holding a blaster aimed at his mid-section.

"I was not aware that we had parted on such poor terms," Obi-Wan mused, holding his hands at his sides so as not to provoke her. "I myself quite enjoyed our time together."

"You cost me a lot of customers," Shinda hissed, advancing a step towards the Jedi.

"Oh."

"I feel that it is only right that I return the favour," she informed him, her aim shifting upwards so that the blaster was now aimed roughly at Obi-Wan's forehead.

Obi-Wan smiled genially, his right hand twitching a fraction of an inch towards his lightsaber. "Unfortunately, in my line of work I am without customers. I merely aid those in need of my services. However, since there is no fee, I hardly think they count as customers."

The comment, and a second movement of his hand, caused Shinda to redirect her blaster once again. She fired that time, the bolt of energy striking Obi-Wan across the top of his hand. Forcing aside the pain, he reached quietly for his lightsaber which he had out and ignited a moment later. Obi-Wan blocked the two subsequent shots fired on him, the third catching him off guard as it was fired from behind him. Once again it was his right hand that bore the brunt of the energy blast, momentarily loosening his hold on his lightsaber. Obi-Wan tightened his grip reflexively and jumped upwards, landing on the roof of the stall behind him. From that position he was able to see the ones who were firing on him.

Unsure of what was going on, Obi-Wan was reluctant to mount any type of offensive. If it became necessary he would, but until then he would continue to block the blasts Shinda and her companion were firing at him. However, Shinda was smarter than he had given her credit for. Realizing that she couldn't get a clean shot at him, she shot out one of the stall's supports. Obi-Wan predicted her intentions in time, flipping up backwards to land on the edge of the roof behind him.

So intent on holding his balance on the slim ledge, Obi-Wan was not able to react in time as one bolt struck him in the left shoulder, throwing him off balance. A second grazed his hip and he started to fall. Whatever type of landing he made, Obi-Wan didn't know. Something impacted against his temple and his vision went black.


	3. Part III

"My lord, Master Kenobi is now in our possession."

From where he stood overlooking the cityscape of Coruscant, Palpatine could not stop the grin that spread across his features. "Good. Very good. See to it that Kenobi is removed from Ranth'fer as soon as possible. There must be no way for young Skywalker to track his master's path from the system."

Turning away from the window, Palpatine strode towards a console in the center of his office which projected a small blue hologram of Shinda Ma'ha.

"We simply await the arrival of the slavers and Kenobi will be taken from Ranth'fer," the trader assured him.

"Once I have confirmation that Kenobi is in the hands of the slavers you will be pain handsomely for your efforts."

"I will contact you again once Master Kenobi is off Ranth'fer."

The communication finished, Palpatine returned to the window. Anakin Skywalker would be vulnerable. He was an apprentice without a master. Beyond that he was a deeply feeling young man, one who cared greatly for his master and would be thrown at the loss of his beloved mentor. And he would blame the Jedi Council for Obi-Wan's loss. Anakin would be easily turned to the dark side in the wake of such events.

Palpatine felt almost giddy with the knowledge that soon the Jedi's so-called Chosen One would be at his beck and call.

* * *

Unconscious, it was difficult to perceive Obi-Wan Kenobi as any type of threat. Unconscious he was simply another human, albeit a highly defenseless one. After Shinda and her companions had dug him out of the remains of the wooden stall they had loaded the wounded Jedi into a crate and transported him to a hanger on the edge of the settlement. The slavers from Quortho were scheduled to land there after nightfall and then taken Kenobi to another system in the Outer Rim where the Jedi would not think to look for their missing comrade. Soon they would not have the man power to spare in the search for a single Jedi.

"Burn anything that could identify him as a Jedi," Shinda ordered, fingering the lightsaber that she had rescued from the rubble. She tucked it into her belt as she strode across the room to the large tool boxes that stood against the hanger's interior wall. "His robes, his belt... He has to look like a common human slave." From the first of the boxes she removed a replacement blade for one of the man cutting devices stored in that particular box. "I will ensure that his Jedi friends have a difficult time recognizing him."

Shinda watched rather gleefully as Kenobi was unceremoniously flipped onto his stomach and stripped of his distinctive Jedi cloak, belt and tunics. While the others were busy burning the garments, Shinda straddled Kenobi's torso and began hacking away at his hair. When she was finished the copper locks were shorn to the scalp in some places, longer in others. Content with that, Shinda rose up off the unconscious Jedi and rolled him onto his back. The left side of his face was smeared with blood that had dried and matted into his beard. While the blood remained when Shinda rose off Kenobi a second time, the beard was no more. Obi-Wan Kenobi hardly appeared the noble Jedi Master he had been an hour before.

* * *

All was chaos around him. Shouting, the sounds of crashes, the rumblings of large objects. Someone stumbled over his leg and he curled in on himself to protect his body from further harm. That simple movement sent a flash of pain through his veins, originating from his head. Opening his eyes proved to be an even more difficult challenge. As the light seeped passed his swollen eyelids it felt as though his very retinas were being scorched.

"You're late, Mantu."

"There was a problem with the ship."

"It's a rust heap. You need a new one."

"From what I hear it doesn't matter if this guy crashes and burns."

"No killing him. Lord Sidious wants Kenobi alive. For now at least."

It took a few goings over but he was able to figure out their conversation. Not that it relieved him in any way. A man named Sidious mean to kill him, but for what reason remained unknown. Other parts of their conversation he didn't understand in the least. It was difficult to focus. His awareness faded in and out and it was during one of those moments when he was unaware that he found himself flipped over onto his stomach. He began to panic once he realized his position, struggling against the many sets of hands that held him down. A cry rose up from his throat, wordless and frenzied, as his hands were dragged behind his back and bound in place. That done he was turned onto his back, his body arching upwards as a result of his bound limbs.

As his eyes flicked over the shapes moving around him, they locked on one figure in particular. A tall man wearing dark clothing moved steadily towards him, something clasped in his hands. It took his frantic mind time to recognize the collar which the man obvious meant to place around his throat. His panicked state increased and he struggled furiously to free his arms. His fights were quelled by two sets of hands holding him still at his hips, pressing his wrists painfully into the ground. A few of his fingers felt as though they would be snapped as a result of their awkward positioning.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded bringing his chin down against his chest to make it more difficult to put the collar on him.

"Hush now, Obi-Wan. This is for your own good."

She nodded to someone that he couldn't see then and his head was yanked back, freeing up his neck. He began screaming and thrashing about as best as he was able. He begged, pleaded, for someone to help him, shouting as loud as he could. It was in vain, though. No one meant to help him.

At the very last moment, just before the collar was placed round his neck, he did as his instincts insisted. While it was not vocal, he shouted. A long scream in his mind that carried a single name. Anakin.

He imaged himself a flicker of a response and then the collar was snapped in place and the whole world around him was muted.

* * *

Halfway across the galaxy, in the middle of a training session, Anakin dropped to his knees. His lightsaber tumbled from suddenly nerveless fingers and he could not hear the shocked voices raised around him. Anakin was only aware of the absolute silence that had suddenly descended upon his training bond with Obi-Wan. The quiet humming, which had always been such a comfort for him, was gone, silenced in a single instant.

"Obi-Wan..."

When he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, Anakin stumbled backwards, falling back onto the tiles. He sent a mental shove towards the bond, screaming his master's name. There was no response. Not even a flicker of that former bond.

"A great disturbance in the Force," Yoda mused, the voice breaking through the fog that had surrounded Anakin's senses. "Silenced, a Jedi has been."

"Don't say that," Anakin cried as he scrambled to his feet. "I will not believe that he is dead. It's impossible. Nothing has happened to Obi-Wan."

"Named Obi-Wan, I did not. Felt your master's loss you did," Yoda murmured, his voice an accusation in Anakin's ears.

An accusation that he did not take well.

In a single movement Anakin was on his feet. He stalked towards the ancient green Jedi, aware of nothing but the fury that consumed him. The Council had bowed to the whims of the Senate and placed Obi-Wan in needless danger. However, a large portion of that rage was directed at himself. He had not insisted enough. He should have done as his instincts bade him and gone with Obi-Wan to Ranth'fer.

"I'm going to the Ranth'fer system," Anakin announced, calling his lightsaber back into his hand with the Force.

Yoda immediately shook his head. "Permitted are you not. A padawan only are you. Send others, the Council will."

"So you'll wait," Anakin accused, scowling at the small creature. "You'll risk his life when it's already in danger.

"Disperse your emotions, you must," Yoda instructed. "Such feelings--"

Anakin didn't stay to wait out Yoda's speech as he already knew its contents. Since he was a boy he had been lectured about controlling his emotions. The Jedi would make of him an unfeeling machine, something which Anakin could not bear. Obi-Wan had ceased to enforce the harsh mandate some years back. Within the relative safety of their quarters, Obi-Wan would offer affection when it was necessary. Or, more precisely, when Anakin was in need of it. To be the Chosen One was not an honoured title. The jealousies of the younglings and padawans alike had always been a constant. For a long time he had possessed a great deal of power without control. Learning control had been a long process as Anakin was several years behind his peers who had been trained in the ways of the Force since their earliest years. When he had gained control, the jealousy had only increased and had, at times, become unbearable for him. Obi-Wan had offered a balance to that aggression, giving him far more affection than was proper for a master.

Leaving the training room, Anakin hurried immediately to the landing hanger. He would not wait for the Council to decide what to do. When he returned to Coruscant, Anakin would face whatever punishment the Council insisted upon so long as Obi-Wan was safe with him.

* * *

In his office below the Senate building, Palpatine paused in his work, a slow smile spreading across his face. He could easily feel the rage that consumed young Anakin Skywalker. The dark Force sang with it. The Jedi Council had made a grievous mistake in separating Anakin from his master. It had been even more foolhardy for them to send a solitary Jedi to a system where loyalties could be bought so easily.

The Council had done their job so well that all Palpatine had to do was sit back and wait for the right time to seduce Anakin to the dark side of the Force. With Obi-Wan lost amidst the countless slaves that populated the Outer Rim systems, the boy would believe his master dead. Even Palpatine had been able to sense the moment the slavers had placed the Force inhibiting collar on Obi-Wan. Tuned in as he was to Anakin and Obi-Wan's Force signatures he had sensed the very instant when the older Jedi's silenced.

All that he waited for now was for Anakin to come demanding help in rescuing Obi-Wan. Knowing Anakin as well as he did, Palpatine knew that the young man would not wait for the Jedi Council to mount its own rescue mission. The boy would have no stomach for the long debates that would be needed before the Council could reach a decision about what to do about this turn of events. With luck the Council would refuse to acknowledge that Obi-Wan had even survived whatever mishap had befallen him on the Ranth'fer system.

"My lord Chancellor," his secretary spoke up as he entered the office then, the words hesitant. "I thought it best to inform you that Padawan Skywalker is currently on route the Ranth'fer system."

Palpatine scowled briefly, clenching his fist momentarily. Anakin was far more hardheaded than he had given him credit for.

* * *

"I need you to set a course for the Ranth'fer system, artoo," Anakin said into the comunit as he navigated his temporarily commandeered starfighter out of Coruscant's atmosphere. "We're going after Obi-Wan." 


	4. Part IV

He had been dumped rather unceremoniously into the cargo hold. Not that he had expected any type of considerations. He was a slave after all and slaves did not warrant any type of considerations. Yet even as those thoughts sped through his mind they made him uneasy. As though he should not be courting such thoughts. Why, though, he could not fathom.

The image of a face flickered before his eyes, in and out of focus. A face that he felt he should have recognized. Blue eyes surrounded by dark, nearly black, lashes gazed at him with enough intensity as though they meant to pierce him. He wondered if this man was the same Anakin who his mind told him meant safety.

His shoulders ached from the position the binders forced them in. The cold metal of the ship's hull offered no comfort either. There was very little heat in the compartment and clad only in trousers and boots he had felt the cold immediately. When the ship had first taken off his skin had goosepimpled, but after several hours he felt numb all over. He knew that it wasn't good for him to remain in such conditions for an extended period of time and as he didn't know where he was being taken he could not determine how long he'd be stuck in the cargo hold.

Desperate to find some way to ignore the cold and remain conscious, he tried to clear his mind of everything but his current predicament. It wasn't a difficult task as there was not much beyond the past few hours that he could recall. He knew only that he was a slave and that face. The woman had called him Ob-Wan so he could only assume that it was his name. Aside from her, no one had spoken to him, hauling him about and shoving him in place of offering instructions or making requests. Forcing away such thoughts, he squared his shoulders as best as he was able against the restraint of the binders and breathed deeply, centering himself. It was a futile act, though, for he felt no sense of calm, only the void that had filled him since the collar had been placed about his neck.

* * *

Shinda Ma'ha strode confidently through the corridors of the Senate building. She had never before been to Coruscant, preferring the control she wielded on her own planet. The money she was to be paid for her role in Kenobi's capture made the trip worthwhile, though. She could very easily retire with the money she was going to be paid for what had amounted to a simple afternoon's work. What surprised her most about the job Lord Sidious had offered her was the role the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic played. The senator already ruled nearly all of the galaxy and rationally had no need to side with the Sith lord.

"You would be the spice trader, I presume," a stately middle-aged man said as he headed to intercept her in the corridor.

Shinda crossed her arms over her chest. "I would be."

"Very good. Please follow me."

Shinda was redirected down a different hallway which ended up turning her around in almost the exact direction she had come. The man did not say a word to her the entire way now that he had learned her identity. The passageway was a labyrinth of twists and turns that went deep into the building taking her well below the main level until at last they arrived at an ornate door.

"Wait here a moment and I will announce you."

It was all a trifle overdone given the job she had performed for the Chancellor and the Sith lord, but she complied. After a minute or so the man returned, nodding for her to enter.

Chancellor Palpatine was rising from his desk as Shinda entered the office. She watched him as he appeared to slither across the distance between them, his hands clasped before him. "I trust that there were no problems."

Reaching into her trenchcoat, Shinda took out Obi-Wan's lightsaber. "No trouble whatsoever. It was remarkably easy given his reputation. He is currently on his way to Tatooine and a tribe of Tusken raiders who I am told will ensure that he suffers greatly before his end."

"You have done well, my dear," Palpatine enthused as he lifted the lightsaber from her outstretched hands. "Very well indeed. I will see to it that this lightsaber finds its way into the proper hands."

* * *

It wasn't difficult for Anakin to find Obi-Wan's ship. It would have been difficult to hide it in the desolate landscape. The rising sun reflected off the craft, reflecting a starburst of light as Anakin brought the ship down. There was no sign of the flight crew nor were there any of a struggle. That meant whatever had happened to Obi-Wan hadn't occurred on the settlement outskirts but within its walls. At the present Anakin hadn't determined whether that was good or bad. In terms of locating witnesses it could prove helpful. That same advantage could also be detrimental in a place with the reputation of Ranth'fer. If Anakin had learned anything growing up on Tatooine it was that criminals stuck together.

"Come on, Artoo. You're less likely to end up full of sand on Obi-Wan's shuttle," Anakin said as he unstrapped the safety harness.

R2-D2 let out a series of whirs and clicks before launching himself from his compartment on the starfighter. The droid was already moving towards the shuttle before Anakin was even out of the cockpit.

Setting foot on the planet himself, Anakin turned to see the flight crew from the other ship standing in the open hatchway of their own craft. At the sight of them Anakin felt a stirring of anger. The men seemed more confused by his presence than anything, as though there was no need for his presence on Ranth'fer.

"Padawan Skywalker, what are you doing here?" Captain Zeno asked as Anakin stalked towards the ship. "I was under the impression that Master Kenobi was on a solo mission."

"Where is my master?" Anakin demanded, not slowing his pace a bit.

Zeno pointed towards the trading settlement. "He went--"

"_Where_ is Obi-Wan?"

"Skywalker--"

Anakin had his lightsaber out and ignited, the very end of it pointed towards Zeno. "I don't want your excuses. I want to know where Obi-Wan is. Something happened to him and I want to know what it was."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." Zeno's words were genuine, his panic real.

"The training bond with my master has been severed and neither myself nor Master Yoda can sense his Force signature," Anakin growled, his grip on his lightsaber tightening. "Now that obviously indicates that something has happened to him. As you are his escourts you should know what has become of him."

Zeno and the rest of the flight crew were cowering in fear, but Anakin could not find it in him to restrain his fury. These men were meant to have protected Obi-Wan during their separation and they had done a poor job of it. The Council may have trusted these men, but like his own trust in the Council, his confidence in these men was lacking.

"Artoo, stay here with the ships," Anakin instructed as he disengaged his lightsaber, strapping it once again to his belt. "I'll be back as soon as I find Obi-Wan."

Drawing his cloak tightly around himself, Anakin stalked towards the nearby fortifications of the trade center.

* * *

"I find it hard to believe that this is the might Obi-Wan Kenobi," a man he vaguely recalled being named Mantu sneered as he crouched down in front of him. "You hardly match up to your reputation now."

Obi-Wan regarded the slaver silently. There was no response he could give as he was not fully aware of events or even the reputation that Mantu spoke of. It was all just empty threats and taunts that he could not yet respond to. So as to not give the slaver more power than he already possessed Obi-Wan decided that it was in his best interest to remain silent. It would only make the situation worse if he managed to antagonize them further.

"Bring him."

Without any consideration for his injuries, Obi-Wan was hauled upright and slammed against the wall. He winced as the binders were forced into the small of his back. Then, once they had shown the proper amount of malevolence towards him, he was hauled out of the cargo hold. Obi-Wan was being forced along at a much quicker pace than his legs could follow. He stumbled repeatedly and was dragged as a result. Being dragged put unwanted pressure on his wounded shoulder. How he had injured his left shoulder was still in question. As well as the wounds to his hand, hip and temple. With the exception of the head injury all of the others appeared to have been made by a blaster. Each wound bore the distinctive scorch marks of the weapon.

The landscape, when they reached the hatchway, was an endless desert, spotted every so often by dunes. Shifting his gaze downwards, to the very end of the ramp, he could see a horde of small, yet fearsome, looking creatures. Obi-Wan panicked at the sight of them and dug his heels in as best as he was able. Mantu and the other slavers merely laughed at his feeble attempts and threw him bodily down the ramp. Without his arms to balance himself, Obi-Wan rolled, his right shoulder connecting painfully with the metal ramp, his hip jarring next before his body eventually settled into a roll. He skidded on the scorching sand stomach first and was immediately kicked by one of the small creatures to halt his progress.

Before he could even begin to right himself so as to see his new captors, Obi-Wan heard the ramp being retracted back into the ship. Struggling still harder he was met by a wave of dust as the slaver's transport took off.

Obi-Wan watched the shuttle for as long as he was able, his mind unable to full accept what it was he was seeing. The reality of his situation was becoming all the more frightening as he began to realize that these rag-tag creatures were meant to be his new owners.

A sudden jolt between his shoulder blades snapped Obi-Wan from his shocked state. He instinctively rolled onto his back, unmindful of his bound wrists digging into the small of his back, so as that he could see who and what has caused that flash of pain. What he saw was a metal pole, the end of which was practically vibrating with the energy stored in it.

"G'zanta ne!"

Not understanding the language, Obi-Wan stared up at the hooded figure in confusion. He was jabbed a second time with the pole, this time in the stomach, for failing to follow whatever instructions had been given to him. The pain was sharp and Obi-Wan contracted his body inward in order to make as small a target as possible.

"G'zanta ne!"

Before the sound had even died on the air, Obi-Wan was prodded a third time. There had been enough gesticulations on behalf of the hooded being that he was able to determine that he had been ordered to stand up. Once the pain had faded to a tolerable level he complied with the order. Only to stumble a moment later as he electrifying pole was touched to his side a fourth time.

"M'van!"

The fifth jolt had him moving along with the group towards a flock of animals held in wait behind a nearby dune. Before they had even reached the mounts, Obi-Wan knew that there would not be one for him. Sure enough, he found himself surrounded by the short creatures, each of them pointing one of the electrified prods towards him. One of the binders was released from his wrist and his hands were quickly brought in front of his body before the binder was replaced. With the possible threat of his escape gone, a rope was tied between the two cuffs and then to the saddle of one of the beasts. For good measure he received a jab right above the waist of his trousers that nearly sent him down on one knee.

Obi-Wan had no time to correct his balance before the beast to which he was attached was spurred forward. In the loose sand he was only able to maintain his footing for a short distance. Between the speed and the uneven footing, Obi-Wan soon found himself on his knees and then as the forward motion continued, being dragged behind the animal. He held onto the rope as tight as he was able, hoping for the chance to right himself somehow, but the chance never came. The coarse sand cut into his flesh, scraping away at his skin, and it was all he could do to force the pressure onto his hips and rear where he skin was at least protected by the thing material of his trousers.

Once again, unsure if he could even be heard, Obi-Wan silently pleaded for Anakin. Some unknown part of his mind continued to insist that this Anakin person was the safety he so desperately craved.

_Anakin... please._


	5. Part V

Anakin had spent the past hour nursing a single drink. A few well-placed questions had led him to the Silver Bail as the most likely place to gain information. The Silver Bail was more or less in the center of the settlement and all news had a way of ending up there. For the right price he could find out anything, including what had happened to Obi-Wan. All the while he had heard brief rumblings of something occurring the previous afternoon and, following the trail, Anakin had seen its source. There had been some type of fight that had been violent enough to destroy a merchant stall. Within the wreckage of what had once been the wooden structure, Anakin had sensed Obi-Wan's presence. And while he was relieved not to find his master's body, the blood that he did find was not a comfort either.

"You look for Jedi?"

The Slitherian who approached him, a tall, mottle-skinned humanoid, immediately had Anakin's full attention. "Yes. I'm looking for a Jedi. He would have arrived yesterday. His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Jedi talk. Attacked. Lots of shots. Then crash." The Slitherian's use of the Republican Standard was stilted, but he got the message across quite clearly. "Jedi hurt badly."

Anakin swallowed, pursing his lips. "Was he alive?"

There was a slight pause, then, "Live? Yes, live." The Slitherian took several exaggerated breaths to indicate that Obi-Wan had still been alive. "Jedi live."

"Do you know where he was taken?"

Anakin received a negative response that time. He thanked the Slitherian, offering to buy him a drink, but when he turned back from summoning the bartender, he was gone. Anakin ordered himself a shot of Dengoli vodka, downing it as soon as the bartender placed it in front of him. Obi-Wan was alive, or had been the day before. It wasn't much, but it was a start. A very good start.

Returning to his earlier drink, Anakin began to wander through the crowd. He didn't speak, but kept his ears open for any mention of his master. If he could just figure out the direction Obi-Wan had been taken he could better pinpoint what had happened to the older man after the attack in the market. Or at least have some vague idea of where he had been taken.

"... back from Coruscant."

"We get paid then?"

"We get paid then."

That snippet of conversation had Anakin's whole attention. Keeping himself out of sight, Anakin watched the three traders as they got themselves well and truly drunk. They were celebrating. It made his job infinitely easier. Anakin felt hopeful for the first time all day. Very soon he would have Obi-Wan back safe with him.

* * *

When the tribe finally stopped and he was released from the back of the animal, Obi-Wan curled in on himself in a desperate attempt to relieve the pain that consumed him. The act offered no comfort, though. The pain did not fade as he had hoped. He was not offered time to wait out the pain either, being prodded and kicked into a more upright position. Obi-Wan wavered on his knees, his vision swimming drastically. He would have toppled forward were it not for the metal pole that was pressed to the center of his chest. Thankfully it was free of any type of electric charge, but his full weight leaning on it was painful nonetheless.

Tilting his head back, Obi-Wan stared up at his captors who were conversing with each other. He could not understand a single word of it, try as he might. There was a sudden loud sound from behind him and Obi-Wan instinctively swiveled his head around to see its source. That quick movement had his barely oriented vision wavering once again, bile rising in his throat. He didn't fight it when the edge of his vision began to darken. It was a blessing when the blackness swallowed him up.

* * *

"The timetable must be advanced," Darth Sidious instructed his apprentice.

The minute hologram of Count Dooku nodded respectfully. "As you will it, my master. I will inform the viceroy immediately."

"I am leaving this in your hands, Dooku. I have other matters to attend to. Matters of a very serious nature."

A small alarm sounded, signaling that someone was approaching his office. Sidious scowled briefly then ended his communication with the fallen Jedi. The holographic image had only just faded when the door opened to admit Palpatine's aide, Uv Gizen.

"The senator from Malek would like to have a word with you, Chancellor."

* * *

Anakin tensed as he watched the beings disembark almost simultaneously from the two cruisers. It was not their numbers that worried him, but rather their professions. Growing up on Tatooine, Anakin had no difficulty recognizing a slaver. The fear that he had abandoned earlier upon learning that Obi-Wan was alive returned fully with this revelation. That his master had been betrayed into the hands of a slaver was no mere accident. It was that deliberateness that would likely seal his master's fate. Obi-Wan would not have been sold to a benign master like Watto. Obi-Wan would be in far harsher hands.

"I hope that you gentlemen are ready to retire," a purple-haired female said as she approached the small crowd gathered in the shuttle hanger. "We have been paid a fortune for what amounts to a single day's work."

Anakin felt himself vibrating with rage. Those people were celebrating Obi-Wan's misfortune. Or what Anakin had already decided was his betrayal. Obi-Wan had spoken of an ally in the Ranth'fer system, but Anakin could find no sign of an ally among the lot. His fingers itched to grab up his lightsaber, but he forced himself to be restrained. He would learn nothing if he killed them all before discovering what had become of his master. At the moment, finding Obi-Wan was his top priority. Revenge would have to come second.

"Provided that you have all done your jobs," she finished, glaring at the group emerging from the second ship.

"Kenobi was delivered to the raiders," one of the slavers confirmed. "By now he'll be wishing he was dead."

Before he could stop himself, Anakin had his lightsaber in his right hand. He managed not to ignite it, but it was a close thing.

"Lord Sidious will be glad to hear it."

At that Anakin nearly dropped his lightsaber. The more information he gained, the more worrisome the situation became. First they had been separated by the Senate, then Obi-Wan had been attacked by slavers, his Force signature restrained... on the orders of the mysterious Sith lord. Rather than fearing what would come next, Anakin felt only rage. It consumed him. At the moment he had no place to focus his anger and the Force around him crackled with that rage.

"I believe that its time to celebrate," the woman mused, her smile broad.

For Anakin that was the final straw. He ignited his lightsaber and stepped out from behind a stack of storage crates, glaring at the slavers. There was a swagger to his steps, one that he exaggerated as one by one the slavers became aware of his presence.

"You are all fools." By the time he spoke the words they were all staring at him. "Do you truly believe that your newfound wealth will save you when you have just endangered the only form of restraint I have ever known?"

"You are outnumbered boy," the woman sneered as she removed a blaster that had previously been concealed within her trenchcoat. "Obi-Wan was defeated by only half this number."

"Obi-wan believes in restraint. I harbor no such constriction."

Opening himself up to the will of the Force, Anakin attacked. He deflected each blaster shot, sending it back towards the slavers. Once he had advanced close enough, none of them stood a chance. He slashed and cut, entirely on the offensive. These fools had made a great mistake in siding with the Sith lord. They would die for it."

"You kill me you'll never find him!"

Anakin stilled his blade a mere inch from the purple-haired woman's throat. "Do you really think I'll believe anything you say?"

"Can you risk not believing me?" she countered, her eyes flickering from the glowing blade to his face and back again.

"Anakin tensed, but did not lower his blade."I suppose that you'd have me spare your life in exchange for the information."

"Of course."

"Of course," Anakin echoed. She was too confident. Try as she might she couldn't conceal the smug expression that tugged at her lips. "Tell me where he is."

"And you'll let me live?" she prompted. Her very essence was coated with slick putrid fear.

Anakin lifted his blade a hairsbreadth closer to her chin. "Tell me."

"They took him to Tatooine," she gasped out, squeezing her eyes shut tight. "Handed him over to a tribe of Tusken raiders."

The words had barely left her lips when Anakin shoved the glowing blue blade through her throat. The scream that he thought was hers he only belatedly recognized as his own. It was a scream of anger, of rage, and of despair. The Tusken were a vicious, horrible race, savage in their actions. If Obi-Wan was vulnerable in any way he would be in serious danger and likely to be killed by those terrible creatures.

_I'm coming for you, Obi-Wan. Hold on..._

* * *

His arms ached from being suspended above his head for so long. It was a welcome respite, though. Bound to the timber frame of the hut he was free from his duties. Duties that he still did not wholly comprehend since he could not understand the language they were given in. His failure to comprehend the orders had left him in a great deal of pain. The prods were a minor inconvenience when compared to the electrowhip.

He had almost given up hope that this Anakin would come for him. Obi-Wan wanted to believe that Anakin would have already come for him. That he wouldn't have allowed him to suffer so much. In the back of his mind, Obi-Wan knew that he could not count on this phantom person to help him. He couldn't even be certain that Anakin was a real person.

So he clenched his fists and began to pull his arms down. He tugged and twisted the limbs about, hoping to loosen his restraints. The coarse ropes cut into the tender flesh of his wrists and he had to bite into his bottom lip to keep from crying out as the pain increased. Blood dribbled down his arms, but it did not stop him.

"Senuk eh!"

All too late Obi-Wan realized that he was not alone. A youngling, a youth of the tribe, had entered bearing food which Obi-Wan was in desperate need of. As the child bolted from the hut, Obi-Wan was certain that he would not be allowed the meal that had been brought to him.

"This is not good," Obi-Wan murmured, slumping against the side of the hut.

* * *

"Meet again, young Skywalker, we do."

As he had sprinted across the plain that spread out beyond the settlement, Anakin had noticed the presence of another shuttle similar to Obi-Wan's. Given his abrupt departure from the Temple he had half expected to be followed. That it was to be Yoda and Mace Windu who came after him surprised Anakin.

"Master Yoda, Master Windu," Anakin greeted as he slowed his approached to a walk. "I trust your journey was well."

"Your wit and charm will not avail you, Skywalker," Windu scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "You disobeyed a direct order."

"My master is in danger and it is my duty to rescue him," Anakin countered, bypassing the two Jedi masters as he turned towards his starfighter.

"Skywalker--"

"This is your fault!" Anakin screamed, whirling to face them. "You and the rest of that Sith-begotten Council sent him here alone. You let yourselves be ordered around by the Senate and because of you Obi-Wan was captured by slavers."

Yoda shuffled forward a few steps. "Our intention, this was not."

"Your intentions be damned!"

"Careful, young Skywalker, you must be. Close to the Dark Side, you treat. To the Force, your rage must be released," Yoda instructed. The small creature paused a moment, his pointed ears twitching briefly. "Your love as well, I sense."

Anakin glared at the diminutive Jedi master. "No. I will not deny anything."

"Release it or a Jedi you cannot be."

"Then a Jedi I am not."

Yoda shook his head sadly. "Rash, your actions now are. Regret them, you will, when cooled your head has."

"Not if I can save Obi-Wan," Anakin sighed. He bowed low to the two Jedi masters then called for R2-D2 who had been mucking about between the ships. "Let's go, Artoo. We need to hurry."

There was a slight pause, but as he climbed the ladder into the cockpit of his starfighter Anakin was certain he heard Yoda murmur a final farewell.

"May the Force be with you, young Skywalker."


	6. Part VI

Dexter Jettster, like most everyone else on Coruscant, watched the latest report on the HoloNet with a great sense of unease. Normally he didn't pay much attention to it, but kept it on for the sake of his customers who liked to gripe and argue about politics. That afternoon he was ignoring the lunchtime customers in favour of watching the speech the Supreme Chancellor was giving.

"That it should come to this," Palpatine sighed, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed as though he carried the weight of the galaxy. "Like the rest of you, for many long years I have kept abreast of the exploits of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. They are a team, united in the cause of peace like no others I have had the pleasure to know. And I can say without fear of contradiction that they are stronger when they fight together... Unfortunately the Jedi Council did not agree.

"Yesterday, while we all slept soundly in our beds, Master Kenobi was sent out alone on a mission to the Ranth'fer system. It is my grave misfortune to announce that he will not be returning from this mission."

In the pause that followed, Palpatine turned to his aide in order to receive a covered object. Removing the cloth he revealed to all watching what it had covered. A lightsaber.

"This lightsaber was sent to me with a message from the traders and slavers of the Ranth'fer system for the Republic to stay out of their affairs," Palpatine announced as he held the Jedi weapon before him. "The separatists rule that system and they spit in the face of all that we hold dear. They have murdered one of our own: a Jedi Master and a diplomat who had gone to them in search of peace.

"Our thoughts must now turn to young Anakin Skywalker. Driven beyond reason by his master's senseless death, young Anakin has himself gone to the Ranth'fer system to avenge this foul deed. And it is now up to us. At this very moment, there is in the Senate a bill being discussed that will allow the Republic to form its own army. With this army we can properly defend ourselves against the separatists who grow more daring with each passing day. How soon before we are at open war?

"Against such a force, can we truly hope to survive?" Palpatine's gaze once again returned solemnly to the lightsaber. He then looked back to the camera as though to hold the eye of the public and the transmission ended.

When the HoloNet broadcast ended, Dexter found himself unable to look away from the screen. It was incomprehensible that Obi-Wan could be dead. The man had more lives than a Vintruvian cat. Having heard the complaint often enough from the Jedi, Dexter knew that a lost lightsaber did not a dead Jedi make.

"Hey, Dex, I want my food!"

* * *

Tatooine. Anakin had always thought that when he returned to the desert planet it would be to free his mother. And while he still had every intention of doing just that, at the moment Obi-Wan was his primary concern. Once he had ensured his master's safety, Anakin meant to find her. His fate with as a Jedi was now uncertain and the Council could no longer keep him from his mother.

Setting his starfighter down at the edge of Mos Eisley, Anakin went off in search of a speeding, leaving R2-D2 to his own devices. He could only hope that the droid wouldn't get into any trouble. With any luck Artoo would be able to track down C-3PO and his mother while he was searching for Obi-Wan. Shmi and Obi-Wan had never met and Anakin wanted the two most important people in his life to finally be in the same room.

The starfighter Anakin used as collateral for the speeder he was loaned to search the near endless deserts of Tatooine for his master. He packed all of the supplies necessary for and extended stay in the desert should it become necessary. Lots of water and blankets, food as well, and the medikit from the starfighter. The kit was not fully supplied and having run out of things to barter with, Anakin hoped that Obi-Wan was not seriously injured as he only had supplies to treat the worst of his injuries.

After riding out beyond sight of Mos Eisley, Anakin brought the speeder to a stop. He cut the engine and climbed off, taking several deep breaths before lowering himself to the ground. Tatooine was simply too big for him to merely choose a random direction and begin his search there. Whatever had silenced his master's presence to the Force would also hinder his tracking of Obi-Wan. So, settling himself cross-legged on the sand, Anakin cleared his mind of all things except the task before him. Patience and meditation had never been his strengths. Had he the time Anakin would have driven out into the desert and begun his search at random. With Obi-Wan in the hands of Tusken raiders that was not an option.

Anakin was not certain how long he sat under the two harsh suns of Tatooine, but eventually the Force began to whisper to him. He could feel it pulsating around him, sharing in his concern for Obi-Wan. When he opened his eyes Anakin knew where he was going. Unfortunately, by that time, the second of the two suns was setting and Anakin knew that he could go no further that day. It was not safe to travel the desert alone at night, not even for a Jedi. The shifting sands could be deceptive in the moonlight and, Jedi powers or no, he would still be in danger. Being still for so long also alerted Anakin to the fact that he could not remember the last time he had slept. And if he were to free Obi-Wan from the Tusken raiders he would need to be rested.

Still, rational as these thoughts were, Anakin did not want to sleep. Every minute that he hesitated was another that Obi-Wan was in danger.

"Be safe," Anakin murmured as he curled up against the side of the speeder. "I will come for you soon."

* * *

"Clouded, his future is," Yoda mused as the shuttle entered hyperspace on the return trip to Coruscant. "But twined with Obi-Wan's it most certainly is."

Mace frowned, leaning back in his seat. "We never should have allowed him to train Skywalker. We were too sentimental after Qui-Gon's death."

"Leave Skywalker vulnerable to the Sith such an act would have. Better to have trained him and risk what follows it is," Yoda insisted, stomping his walking stick on the ground for emphasis.

"I hope you're right," Mace sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

* * *

Lying flat along the crest of a dune, Anakin scanned the Tusken camp for any sign of Obi-Wan. It was the third such camp he had found that day. Nearing dusk, Anakin feared that the Force had let him down and had taken him far away from his master. Lowering the scanners, Anakin sighed dejectedly, thinking that once again he had failed to find Obi-Wan. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut tightly, Anakin howled silently into the sand.

"I'm sorry," Anakin moaned, clenching and unclenching his fist in the sand. "I'm so sorry, Master. I thought I could--"

"I don't know what you want!" a very human, and very familiar voice shouted.

Every muscle in his body tensed when he heard Obi-Wan's frantic scream. He had heard many such shouts over the years, particularly when he was piloting a ship, but never before with such fear.

Keeping himself low to the ground, Anakin slid down the back of the dune. He would not wait any longer than necessary to free Obi-Wan from those vile creatures. Obi-Wan had already been at their mercy for far too long already. So, being as quiet as possible, and masking his presence with the Force, Anakin sidled up behind the last row of huts, peeking through the flaps in the hide coverings for sign of his master.

It was the shoulders that Anakin recognized first. The figure was sprawled upon the hard-packed earth, lying mostly on his front, drawing Anakin's attention to the broad shoulders that were now covered with dirt, grime and blood. So much blood. For all the breadth of the shoulders, the torso and waist tapered down far more significantly than Anakin could ever remember. With a breath he could see the outline of ribs. A bantha howled from the other side of the camp and the body flinched, curling in on itself. It was the pathetic whimper that drifted to his ears that finally forced Anakin's limbs to respond.

"Obi-Wan," he gasped, staggering the final few steps to where the older man lay before collapsing onto his knees. "Force... Obi-Wan..."

Anakin reached a hand out to touch his master's trembling shoulders. Obi-Wan reacted as though he had been touched by a live wire. He scrambled to a crouched position, turning his body towards Anakin as he backed away as far as he was able. When he could go no further, a wall preventing his escape, Obi-Wan began to whimper again, the noise louder and more keening as he clawed at the wall. Anakin ducked his head down, trying to catch Obi-Wan's gaze in hopes of gaining some sense of his master's mindset as the collar molded to his throat like a second skin prevented Anakin from reading his Force signature.

"Obi-Wan, please," Anakin murmured, extending a hand towards the crouched figure. It pained him to see the injuries that covered Obi-Wan's body. Large gashes, skin rubbed raw, scraped by sand, angry welts... So much pain in so little time, the thought of it created a lump in his throat that he could barely swallow past. "It's me. Anakin. I've come to take you away from here."

Obi-Wan regarded him quizzically at that. Uncertain. "You're real?"

When Obi-Wan extended a trembling hand towards him, Anakin immediately took it. A moment later he found himself with his arms full as Obi-Wan launched himself forward. Obi-Wan didn't make a sound, but clung to him, his face pressed into the crook of Anakin's shoulder.

"Force, Obi-Wan, what happened to you?" Anakin moaned, holding the older man as tightly as he dared. With feather-light touches he stroked his fingertips along Obi-Wan's spine, nuzzling his lips against his master's temple.

The only response that he received to his question were a few mucky sniffles as Obi-Wan held him still tighter.

* * *

Anakin was real. Obi-Wan had convinced himself that Anakin was a mere figment of his imagination, someone he had made up to comfort himself. That Anakin was real enough to touch. He could feel Anakin's arms around him, solid and warm. Obi-Wan clung to him, fearful that Anakin would disappear the instant he let go.

"You're real," Obi-Wan whispered into Anakin's shoulder, rubbing his cheek against the course fabric of his shirt. "Real. Real. Realrealrealrealrealrealrealreal..."

"Hush," Anakin chastised quickly, his mouth so close to Obi-Wan's that he could feel Anakin's breath that he could feel it against his lips. "We have to be quiet."

Obi-Wan squeezed his mouth and his eyes shut tight, desperate to stifle any sound he might have made. He knew what would happen if he made noise. They would come again and they would hurt him again. They would hurt Anakin.

"Senuk eh!"

Obi-wan whipped his head around at the sound, stumbling away from Anakin. The child was back and had once again caught him doing something he should not. Only this time Anakin was here and they would hurt Anakin as well.

Anakin hurried towards Obi-Wan, crouching down in front of him and holding his gaze. "Please stay here, Obi-Wan. I will be back."

Anakin's lips touched his forehead and then he was gone, disappearing from the hut. And he was alone again. Then the shouts started and Obi-Wan knew that there was fighting. Anakin was fighting back against them.

Clinging to the frame of the hut, Obi-Wan began to pull himself up to standing. He continued holding onto it as he slowly made his way towards the door, stumbling more than once. He had to protect Anakin from them. He didn't want Anakin to be hurt like he had. Obi-Wan fell to his knees when he no longer had the wall to support him. His arms gave out next, but not before he caught sight of Anakin. The weapon that he fought with was frightening. A beam of light.

Spitting out the sand in his mouth, Obi-Wan rolled onto his back. He stared up at the sky, trying to make sense of what he had just seen. At the moment there was none, just a strange throb against his temples. It soon became painful and with the sun it was better to keep his eyes shut. So he did.


	7. Part VII

Anakin felt a bolt of fear go through him when he saw Obi-Wan lying on the ground near a cluster of huts. With the blood that already covered him, Anakin couldn't tell whether he had been hurt again. The Tusken were all dead, each and every one of them. Obi-Wan would lecture him about it later-- about giving into his anger --but Anakin didn't care. Those creatures had hurt Obi-Wan, had tortured him, and deserved all that Anakin had done to them.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin shouted as he slid to the ground next to his master.

Obi-Wan mumbled something non-sensical, turning his head away from Anakin. It was almost comical, or would have been had the situation not been so dire. Anakin lightly ghosted his fingertips briefly over Obi-Wan's shorn scalp, hoping for some type of reaction from his master. What he hadn't expected was for Obi-Wan to lean into his touch and murmur his name. And despite himself, Anakin felt tears pricking at the back of his eyes. He barely choked down a sob, curling his upper body around Obi-Wan, hugging him close.

* * *

"Our spies tell us that the Ma'ha woman and all of her cohorts were killed yesterday," Uv Gizen informed the Chancellor once he had finished detailing the other important Republic news. "The money, however, was not touched. Save by our spies, of course."

"Of course," Palpatine mused, summoning Kenobi's lightsaber into his right hand. He hefted its weight, gazing at it without really seeing it. "Any clue who the the killer was? The young padawan perhaps?"

"The initial reports would indicate that, yes," Gizen confirmed, glancing up briefly from his datapad. "In all likelihood he has already determined Kenobi's location."

The lightsaber fell to the desk with a hollow thud. "Of that I am most certain. Anakin is an intelligent boy. That intelligence and his rage will make him the perfect apprentice."

* * *

"Help us! Someone, please! We need help!"

Anakin clutched Obi-Wan more tightly to him as he brought the speeder to a stop next to the main buildings of the moisture farm. Obi-Wan moaned slightly at the sudden loss of forward momentum, his eyelids fluttering briefly. Anakin tenderly cupped his cheek, brushing his thumb over his cheek, hoping to coax him back into wakefullness. For the briefest of seconds the wandering blue-grey eyes met his own gaze before his eyelids slid closed again.

"Anakin?"

At the sound of his mother's voice, Anakin's head shot up, eyes wide in shock. "Mom?"

"Ani, I don't believe it. You're really here," Shmi gasped, bringing her right hand up to her mouth.

Anakin could only stare at her, his mind unable to fully process this latest shock. When he had seen the moisture farm, Anakin had only thought of finding help for Obi-Wan who hadn't woken since he had found him sprawled on the ground. He also needed to find some way to remove the Force inhibiting collar and with the repairs that always needed to be done on the farms, Anakin had hoped to find the necessary tools.

"Shmi, what's going on, love?" a man asked as he emerged from behind the building.

Obi-Wan's solid weight against his chest snapped Anakin from the shock at seeing his mother for the first time in nearly a decade. "Mom, we need help. Obi-Wan was betrayed into the hands of the Tusken raiders and--"

"No need to explain, boy," the moisture farmer cut him off, striding towards him. "Shmi, go gather the medikit while Anakin and I bring-- Obi-Wan, was it? --into the house."

Anakin held Obi-Wan protectively against his chest as the other man approached. "I've got him. Just show me where I can take him. I'll need some tools, though. For the collar."

"Follow me then."

With only a slight boost from the Force, Anakin cradled Obi-Wan against his chest as he climbed off of the speeder. The moisture farmer was waiting for him and fell in step beside Anakin as soon as he was close enough. Anakin wasn't sure how to act around the man. He was helping them now, but Anakin had every intention of taking his mother with them when they left. Anakin wouldn't let his mother remain a slave when he had the power to save her.

"My name is Cleigg Lars. I suppose that I'm your step-father," the moisture farmer said casually as they neared the house.

"But aren't you..." Anakin drifted off, not wanting to finish the thought.

Cleigg bobbed his head from side to side. "I'll admit it, I did buy her contract from Wattoo. But I destroyed it before I married her. She's free now."

"Do you love her?" Anakin asked, his gaze dropping briefly to Obi-Wan who was still as ever.

"Aye, I do," Cleigg said without hesitating. "I love her very much."

"Good."

* * *

In all of her dreams, Shmi had never thought that her son would return to her splattered with blood, bearing another more severely injured man before him on a speeder. A man that she could tell he loved very dearly from the tender way Anakin had held him. The careful way that he had touched Obi-Wan. The gentle way Anakin was now dabbing the blood from his cheek.

"Is he one of the Jedi?" Shmi asked her son, handing him a fresh cloth.

"Obi-Wan's my master," Anakin whispered, stroking the pad of his thumb across the injured man's cheek. "He's been training me since Qui-Gon died... He's my best friend."

"To inspire such devotion from you he must be a good man."

Anakin flashed her a brief smile, his eyes still incredibly sad. "The best I know."

"He would have to be to have managed you all these years," Shmi teased, hoping to lighten the mood even as she rinsed the gritty sand from the deep scratches along Obi-Wan's left side. She sobered up a moment later, pursing her lips. "I'm grateful that it's not you lying here, Ani. I don't know what I'd do if it was you lying here."

"It wouldn't be me," Anakin said solemnly, stopping what he was doing to stare down at the unconscious man. "Obi-Wan wouldn't have let something like this happen to me. He would have been with me and this wouldn't have happened. The slavers wouldn't be able to defeat the both of us. And if I had been there, I wouldn't have let this happen to him. I've been a slave before, I could handle it better."

"Yet I do not think that he would agree with you."

* * *

At first everything was bright. Everything around him was blurred together in various hazy shades. He could feel a very solid presence next to his right hand, though. Obi-Wan blinked, hoping to clear his vision, as he turned his head to see what was lying next to his hand. A moment later it became a question of who. His eyesight had cleared enough so that Obi-Wan could tell he was lying on a bed, the figure next to him resting with his upper body supported on the mattress, the fingers of his right hand very close to Obi-Wan's own. The angle obscured the man's-- for the being was obviously male --features, but there was one distinctive feature that tugged at Obi-Wan's rather depleted memory.

A long slender braid.

"Anakin," he sighed, stretching his fingers until they brushed against the very tip of the braid. Catching it between his middle and index finger, tugging it lightly.

Obi-Wan startled when, a moment later, Anakin bolted upright, leaning over him. Anakin must have noticed this because his next movements were far more controlled. He very lightly cupped a hand along Obi-Wan's cheek, soothing his thumb along the upper swell of his cheekbone.

"You had me worried," Anakin whispered, touching his forehead to Obi-Wan's. "You've been asleep for more than a day."

"Sorry," Obi-Wan muttered, barely resisting the urge to yawn.

"Don't be sorry," Anakin chastised quietly, shifting his hand so that his fingertips could massage soothing circles against Obi-Wan's temple. "For once you have an excuse. And you have my word that I won't tell Master Yoda how long you slept."

Obi-Wan could only stare at Anakin in confusion. "Who's Master Yoda?"

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan for several long seconds, waiting for the other man to arch an eyebrow or otherwise show that he had been teasing him. That moment never came and Anakin slowly came to realize that Obi-Wan was being serious. There was no deception in his eyes. Just exhaustion and the lingering feeling of pain.

"Don't worry about it," Anakin whispered, forcing away the unnerving thoughts that filled him. "Just rest. Things will be better once you've had some time to rest."

Obi-Wan furrowed his brows, his head shaking slightly. "Tell me what's going on."

"Nothing is going on," Anakin lied, masking the words with a smile.

One that Obi-Wan didn't believe. "Please. Don't lie to me."

"I don't know what's going on," Anakin amended, bowing his head. When he met Obi-Wan's eyes a moment later, he offered up a slight smile to hopefully lighten the mood. "I have some ideas, but I really don't know what's going on. Give me some time, please?"

Obi-Wan pursed his lips, sinking back into the thin pillow under his head. "Can you at least tell me how we know each other? Are we friends?"

"The very best of," Anakin whispered, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm glad," Obi-Wan sighed, his eyes drifting shut.

Anakin sat silently beside the bed watching as Obi-Wan drifted off to sleep. At that moment getting up and doing something was beyond him. He was still wrapping his mind around the fact that Obi-Wan had forgotten everything. Except for him. Obi-Wan knew him, Anakin didn't question that. There had been recognition in his eyes. That was something which could not be faked. His relief had been too genuine; very raw and uninhibited. The blow his master had taken to the temple certain hinted at the cause for his absent memories. There was a large gash that started about his left eyebrow then cut through it before finally ending half an inch past his hairline. And though Anakin knew that he should take Obi-Wan back to the Jedi Temple so that the healers could examine him, he felt safer here on Tatooine with his mother. Shmi was the only other person he trusted besides Obi-Wan.

"Ani? I brought you some lunch," Shmi said quietly as she entered the room a few minutes later. Setting the tray down on the bedside table, she ran her fingers through his hair. "Ani, you have to eat. I let you get away with not eating breakfast, but I won't allow you to starve yourself with worry."

"He doesn't remember anything," Anakin said, his eyes never straying away from Obi-Wan's still form. "He doesn't know about the Jedi, or what had happened to him... I'm not even sure how well he remembers me. He knows my name, but he didn't know what we are to each other. Obi-Wan had to ask if we were friends."

"It's quite telling that Obi-Wan remembers you at all," his mother pointed out, her hand never stilling against his scalp. "He must care for you very deeply."

Anakin brushed his fingertips along the heel of Obi-Wan's palm, watching the fingers curl upwards briefly. "Obi-Wan's been everything I've known since I was nine."

"Then there is no one better to help him remember himself."


	8. Part VIII

Obi-Wan was instantly on edge when he awoke alone. His whole body tensed as he scanned the room for somewhere to hide. He was too exposed lying on the bed. Unfortunately, the room offered no obvious hiding places, only solid pieces of furniture when recessed areas would have been preferred.

"You've woken," the woman said rather obviously as she entered the room.

Whimpering slightly, Obi-Wan scooted backwards, pressing himself against the wall. "Where's Anakin? I want to see Anakin."

"Anakin is outside at the moment," she told him, half-turning in the doorway. "He and my husband are trying to put together something that will remove the collar you're wearing."

Obi-Wan's hands immediately went to his throat, feeling the metal that encircled his neck. He struggled to swallow the panic that filled him, his hands dropping down and clenching on his thighs. "I need to see him."

The woman hesitated a moment before nodding her head. "Very well. Would you like to go to him or should I fetch him?"

"I would like to go myself," Obi-Wan decided, nervously biting the inside of his cheek.

Her smile was comforting and reminded him somewhat of Anakin's. Before helping him from the bed she informed him that she was Anakin's mother, Shmi. Placing his arm over her shoulders, Shmi allowed Obi-Wan to lean on her as much as was necessary. With each step that he took, Obi-Wan was forced to rely on her more and more. He had not realized before just how weak he was. Admittedly he knew that he should have realized it as it was the first time he had been out of the bed and also the longest he had remained conscious. At the moment, though, his only concern was that he be reunited with Anakin.

Out in the courtyard, Obi-Wan caught sight of Anakin almost immediately. He was pacing about in the entrance of the maintenance room, tinkering with an object he held in his left hand. A moment later he looked up, his eyes searching out and finding Obi-Wan instantly. The thing in Anakin's hand was forgotten, passed off to the man standing next to him, as he hurried across the yard towards Obi-Wan. Feeling the same desperate need as Anakin, Obi-Wan allowed his arm to drop from Shmi's shoulders then took several wobbly steps towards the other man.

"You should still be resting," Anakin said as he slipped his arms around Obi-Wan. "It's too early for you to be out of bed."

Obi-Wan clutched at Anakin's sides, his forehead pressed into the crook of the taller man's neck. "You weren't there."

* * *

The accusation, quiet as it was, made Anakin's chest tighten painfully. He hugged Obi-Wan tighter, touching his lips to the older man's temple. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd be asleep longer."

Obi-Wan turned his head to the side, his lips brushing against Anakin's. Anakin was momentarily thrown off, aware for the first time just how close Obi-Wan's lips were to his own. He did his best not to react to it, not wanting to upset Obi-Wan. He had been through too much and didn't need to think that Anakin was pulling away from him. Most importantly because he wasn't. Despite Obi-Wan's best efforts over the past ten years, Anakin had never been good at dispersing his emotions as the Jedi were trained to do. He loved Obi-Wan and so he let his instincts guide him and lightly kissed the corner of Obi-Wan's lips.

It felt strangely right, Obi-Wan's lips against his own. There was a solidness to them beyond the dry, cracked texture that atmosphere of the desert planet had given them. Having been kissed by a barmaid on Klaxton 9, Anakin knew the too-soft feel of female lips, the delicate texture awkward to him.

"I have no intentions of leaving you," Anakin whispered, rubbing his cheek against Obi-Wan's stubbled jaw. "I'm trying to make something that will get that thing off your neck. It might help with your memory."

Still keeping his hands on Anakin's hips, Obi-Wan pulled back so that they were face to face. "I want to help."

Anakin smiled fondly at him. "Unfortunately, you've never been very good with electronics, Obi-Wan. That scar on your left wrist is actually an electrical burn."

"Oh."

"You could come sit with me if you want, though," Anakin offered, feeling Obi-Wan beginning to tremble. "It's cool in the workshop and there's a bench you could sit on."

Obi-Wan nodded his head slightly, his lips pursed. "Sitting would be good."

Supporting Obi-Wan on his right side, Anakin led him across the courtyard towards the underground tool shed where Cleigg was working to recalibrate a spare sensor for the vaporizers. Anakin had examined the collar as best he could while ObiWann slept and had made a rough plan on how to remove it. Having Obi-Wan present while hemadee the device would be helpful since he could test it at various stages instead of only at the end. Anakin felt empty without the bond he and Obi-Wan had shared for the past decade. Being near his master and not being able to sense his Force signature was alsodisconcertingg, oftentimes feeling to Anakin as though he was looking at a phantom and not the real Obi-Wan Kenobi. Most importantly, though, Anakin hoped that be connected with the Force would help Obi-Wan's depleted memory.

Once inside themaintenancee room, Anakin introduced Obi-Wan to his newly discovered step-father before guiding him over to the room's lone bench. Anakin lingered near Obi-Wan, fingertips ghosting briefly over his shoulders. It caught him off guard when all of a sudden the fingers of Obi-Wan's left hand slid through his, squeezing lightly.

"I promise not to go anywhere," Obi-Wan murmured when Anakin returned the affectionate squeeze.

* * *

Try as he might, Obi-Wan was finding it difficult to stay in one position for any length of time. The space between his shoulder blades ached from the way he was sitting, but any other position would be far more uncomfortable. If he truly wanted to he could have retreated back to the comfort of the main house, but that would mean leaving Anakin. While he was comfortable enough aroundShmii, he wanted to stay near Anakin. Anakin was the one that he remembered, however vaguely.

Obi-Wan startled when he blinked his eyes open and saw a blonde-haired little boy standing in front of him. The boy's hair fell into his eyes as he grinned widely, a hand held out towards Obi-Wan.

"Hi. You're a Jedi too? Nice to meet you."

Obi-Wan blinked and then the boy was gone. He nearly tumbled off the bench, his whole body jerking at the boy's sudden disappearance. Obi-Wan didn't realize that he was trembling all over until he felt Anakin's hands framing his face as the other man crouched in front of him.

"You okay?" Anakin murmured, shuffling a bit closer.

Panting, Obi-Wan focused on Anakin's eyes for a few long seconds while he struggled to get his breathing under control. "Boy. There was a boy here. He asked me if I was a Jedi. What's a Jedi?"

"There's no one in here but us," Anakin was quick to assure him. "Cleigg left a little while ago to check on one of the vaporizers and my mother is in the main house. You must have fallen asleep."

Obi-Wan shook his head vehemently. "No. I saw a boy. He was about nine or ten, blonde hair. He said hello then asked me if I was a Jedi too."

"I said something very similar to that a long time ago," Anakin revealed, lifting a hand to stroke the short hairs on the top of Obi-Wan's head. "It was when we first met. I was in awe of you and your master. I'd never met a Jedi before-- they were little more than legends here --and in the span of two days I'd met two."

"My master?" Obi-Wan echoed, tensing somewhat at the title. "Have I always been a slave then?"

Anakin's eyes widened dramatically, showing the fullness of their blue colour. "A slave? No, Obi-Wan, never. Qui-Gon was your teacher, a master of the Jedi arts. Until you were betrayed by those traders you had never been a slave."

Obi-Wan was not as relieved by the information as he thought he would be. Some foul thought continued to tug at his mind, though he could not place it. These unknown thoughts made him nervous, his skin tingling. There was something very important that he was not remembering.

"You look exhausted, Obi-Wan. You should go in and rest," Anakin suggested as he rose up to his full height. "We don't have any access to a bacta tank like we would at the Temple so you must recover the old fashioned way which requires a great deal of rest."

Obi-Wan immediately shook his head, staring up at Anakin rather than the other man's outstretched hand. "No. I want to stay near you. I'll rest later, but please let me stay with you now."

Anakin looked uncertain, but ultimately nodded his head. "I feel better when you're nearby as well," he admitted before turning back to his work.

Obi-Wan leaned back into the unyielding bedrock that formed the room's walls, relief palpable in every cell of his body. He felt a slight tremor as though his senses were being slammed up against a wall, but pushed it aside. At the moment he was severely lacking the energy to think about such insubstantial things.

* * *

The second of the moons that orbited Tatooine had risen before Anakin finished the device that he hoped would remove the Force inhibiting collar from Obi-Wan's neck. Obi-Wan himself had fallen asleep several hours before so Anakin had brought him back to the main house where he could rest more comfortably.

"I feel as though I am looking back in time," Shmi murmured from the doorway just as he was screwing the casing back in place. "How many times did I look in on you and see this exact same scene. Though when you were a boy it was only ever tinkering and not such serious ventures."

"I only hope that this works," Anakin sighed, stepping back from the workbench and swiping a hand over his forehead.

"It will. You're very determined to help Obi-Wan," Shmi noted as she entered the room. "And I've seen what you can accomplish when you're determined."

Despite himself, Anakin smiled. "You can rest easy, Mom. I have no intention of entering a pod race. At least not right now. I just need to get that Sithspawn collar off Obi-Wan."

"And you will. But first you need to eat," Shmi ordered, placing a hand on his shoulder as though she would guide him from the room.

"I'm not--"

Shmi squeezed his shoulder this time. "You are going to come each with us, Anakin. So go wash up then wake Obi-Wan. I doubt that the poor man has had much to eat over the past week and the both of you could use a hot meal before you start fiddling with that collar."

After a brief consideration Anakin nodded his head. "All right, Mom. I'll be in soon."

"Thank you, my darling."

Anakin watched her go, a smirk on his lips. It was strange to be at home again with his mother after having lived so long on Coruscant. One thing Anakin had been unable to forget was the sand. The sand was everywhere, gritting against his flesh. It stuck to his sweat-slick skin and generally made him feel uncomfortable. So as he passed by the kitchen, Anakin informed his mother that he was going to shower the sand off himself before dinner.

Under the cool water, Anakin sighed with relief. He scrubbed viciously at his scalp, hoping to get all of the sand out. He was itching to be clean, or at least the very least free of sand. The heat he could withstand, in truth Anakin had always preferred warmer climates. Obi-Wan had often teased him about needing extra blankets most nights even when they were on very mild planets.

"Anakin?"

Anakin was surprised to hear his master's voice. Even more surprised when he saw Obi-Wan's hazy outline through the 'fresher door. Leaving the water running, he opened the door, peering out at the copper-haired man. Instantly, Obi-Wan's features relaxed, a great deal of tension bleeding from his posture. Before Anakin could ask what he wanted, Obi-Wan stepped into the 'fresher, still dressed in his tattered Jedi trousers.

"I'm usually the one who does this," Anakin chuckled, pushing his bangs out of his face with one hand while his other came to rest on Obi-Wan's hip.

He must have said something that Obi-Wan wanted to hear because a moment later the older man's hands were framing his face and then Obi-Wan was kissing him desperately. Anakin was startled at first, unsure of how to respond. He must have hesitated too long because Obi-Wan pulled back almost immediately, shrinking himself into a corner of the 'fresher.

"I'm sorry. I thought... I thought that..." Obi-Wan stammered, looking everywhere but at Anakin.

Stepping forward, Anakin cupped Obi-Wan's cheek with his right hand, his left hand light stroking the older man's side. "You weren't wrong. We've always had a very intimate relationship. I just didn't expect you to show up like this after everything that's happened."

It was the truth. Anakin had never felt closer to another human being than he did Obi-Wan. The only falsehood was that their relationship had never been a physical one. But he'd always loved Obi-Wan, never realizing just how much until he'd thought he'd lost him.

"So it's okay?"

Anakin nodded his head, drawing Obi-Wan into his arms. "Yeah, it's okay."


	9. Part IX

Waking up alone a second time didn't frighten Obi-Wan as much. He recognized the room this time and while he was annoyed that Anakin had taken him out of the workshop, his sore muscles were thankful. As he slowly scanned the room, Obi-Wan caught sight of Anakin walking into the room across the hall, pulling off his shirt in the process.

Curious, Obi-Wan heaved himself into a seated position and slowly swung his legs out of the bed. He was very careful getting up, ensuring that he was steady before releasing his hold on the bed. It frustrated him that his body was so sluggish, barely following his mind's commands. He was determined, though, and followed Anakin into what he found out was the 'fresher.

"Anakin?"

Obi-Wan shuffled forward, trying to peer through the hazy walls of the shower. He watched as Anakin slowly turned towards him. All at once Obi-Wan realized that he didn't know what he was doing or why he had even followed Anakin in once he'd realized what room it was. He had no right to intrude on Anakin. Still, Obi-Wan couldn't make himself turn around. He wanted to feel connected to someone and even without his memory he knew that he'd been close to Anakin.

It was a shock when Anakin opened the door. Water misted out of the 'fresher, dampening Obi-Wan's chest. So, without thinking about what he was doing, following his instincts, Obi-Wan stepped into the 'fresher stall. It was only afterwards that he realized that he still had his pants on, but by then it was too late.

Anakin laughed quietly, lifting a hand to the bangs from Obi-Wan's face while his other hand came to rest his hip. "I'm usually the one who does this."

Not sure what his role was, Obi-Wan did what came naturally. He lifted his hands to frame Anakin's face and leaned in close so that he could catch Anakin's lips with his own. Anakin had let him in-- he was the one who had opened the door --but Anakin wasn't kissing him back. He was just standing there, shock still. Obi-Wan didn't realize he'd been backing away in response until his back hit the tiled corner of the 'fresher stall.

"I'm sorry. I thought... I thought that..." Obi-Wan couldn't even bring himself to look at Anakin as he stammered the words out.

Anakin had reacted so negatively that Obi-Wan was genuinely shocked when he took a step forward and cupped the side of his face. "You weren't wrong. We've always had a very intimate relationship. I just didn't expect you to show up like this after everything that's happened."

Somewhat relieved by Anakin's explanation, if still a little dubious, Obi-Wan allowed himself to raise his head. It was another minute or so before he would allow himself to meet Anakin's gaze. Obi-Wan didn't much feel like making a fool out of himself and couldn't quite convince himself that he hadn't.

"So it's okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay," Anakin assured Obi-Wan as he drew him into his arms.

Obi-Wan nodded his head, pressing his face into the crook of Anakin's neck. He'd made an outright fool of himself and Anakin was brushing it off as though it were nothing. It made Obi-Wan question whether there was truth to Anakin's words. Something tugged in the back of Obi-Wan's mind, perhaps hinting him towards what their relationship had been before he'd lost his memory.

"Is it okay that I love you?" Obi-Wan said into Anakin's shoulder.

He felt Anakin's lips against the top of his head then. "Only if it's okay that I love you."

* * *

Anakin didn't know what to make of this new version of Obi-Wan. On some level he had always known that it was the Jedi Code that restrained Obi-Wan, but to see such obvious proof of it was rather startling. Prior to his mission to the Ranth'fer system, Obi-Wan had never been so free with his emotions. There was a long time Anakin had been convinced his master didn't even have them. At least not in the traditional sense. After all, Anakin had seen first hand just how devastated Obi-wan had been by Qui-Gon's death. For a short while after the older man had even flirted with the Dark Side of the Force. It was Obi-Wan's innate goodness that had kept him from straying too far into darkness.

Dropping another kiss to Obi-Wan's head, Anakin dipped his head down so that he could peer into familiar blue-grey eyes. "Mom's made dinner, and I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Food sounds good," Obi-Wan agreed. "Only I don't know what I'm going to wear as I don't fancy sitting in wet pants."

"My step-brother Owen looks to be roughly your size, I'll see if he has a pair of trousers you can borrow," Anakin offered, supporting Obi-Wan with an arm about his waist as they exited the 'fresher stall. He motioned for Obi-Wan to lean against the sink and, after wrapping a towel around his own hips, helped Obi-Wan with the fastenings of his pants.

"This happened before," Obi-wan said just as Anakin was kneeling down to help him out of his pants. "Reversed. I was helping you. You were all wet. You'd done something stupid."

Anakin very nearly lost his balance at that and had to grab hold of Obi-Wan's right calf to keep from tumbling over. "You remember that?"

"I think so," Obi-Wan murmured, furrowing his brows. "Did that happen?"

"Just before we were separated," Anakin whispered as he rose to his full height. "I'd decided that it would be a good idea to stand in the rain even though we'd decided that it was--"

"--decidedly harmful to an individual's health. Yours in particular," Obi-Wan finished, his eyes suddenly far away. He shook his head slightly, turning his attention back to Anakin. "I said that, didn't I?"

Anakin couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips. "You did say that. Exactly that." Framing Obi-Wan's face with his hands, he leaned in close, kissing the other man for all he was worth. Obi-Wan wasn't lost. All of his memories were still there, it was just a matter of getting them back.

"Ani, your food is going to get--"

In the space of a breath Anakin moved them both quickly so that Shmi wouldn't be able to see Obi-Wan's naked body. There was, however, no point in making a big deal of the situation. She hadn't walked in on anything scandalous, but instead merely one friend comforting another. It was a rationale Anakin very nearly believed.

"Mom, do you think Obi-Wan could borrow a pair of Owen's pants?" Anakin requested, not offering up any explanation as to how his own had been soaked.

It took Shmi a moment to come out of her shock. When she did she immediately nodded her head. "Certainly. I'll be back in a minute."

For several long seconds after Shmi left neither Anakin or Obi-Wan said anything. For his part Anakin couldn't think of anything to say. At least not anything that wouldn't be stammered or complete nonsense.

"You should put your pants on," was what Obi-Wan chose to say.

* * *

Dinner was a strange affair. Obi-Wan felt entirely out of place at the table. This was Anakin's family. He knew them and could interact with them and have actual conversations. Obi-Wan didn't know what to talk about so he sat next to Anakin, silently picking at his food. It had obviously been a long time since Anakin had seen his mother from what Obi-Wan could judge of their conversation.

"So that little braid of yours means that you're going to be a Jedi," the younger of the Lars men, Owen, asked as he sipped from a glass of Jawa juice.

Anakin straightened his shoulders, chin held high. "I am a Jedi. The braid merely identifies me as a padawan learner. An apprentice."

Instantly, Obi-Wan's attention was peaked. Anakin had never answered his question that afternoon; had never told him what a Jedi was. As he listened, Obi-Wan slowly gained a clue as to just what the Jedi were. It was almost surreal listening to Anakin explain the inner workings of the Jedi Order. On an intellectual level, Obi-Wan knew that he should have fully understood this mostly philosophical code and it frustrated him that he couldn't remember. Still, the way Obi-Wan figured it, if he had been taught the ways of the Jedi from the age of three its teachings should have been instinctual to him regardless of his lost memories.

"They won't separate us, will they?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly just as Shmi and Beru were rising to clear the dishes from the table. "If I can't remember how to be a Jedi, how could I be expected to teach you to be one. They could take you away from me."

Anakin appeared stricken and immediately reached over to grasp Obi-Wan's hand. "Your memory will be restored by the time we return to Coruscant. This is only a minor problem that will sort itself out soon. Hopefully even now."

Tugging on his hand, Anakin pulled Obi-Wan up from the table and then out of the kitchen. Anakin wouldn't tell him what was going on, but when they arrived at the workshop it was not hard for him to figure out and he brought his free hand up to touch the collar. Suddenly Obi-Wan was very nervous.

* * *

Anakin would have preferred to have someone else to test his little machine on before using it to remove the Force inhibiting collar from Obi-Wan's neck. He couldn't even be sure that it would work properly and not short circuit the thing. Nervous as he was, Anakin knew that he had to at least try. He couldn't even fathom what it was like to be cut off from the Force, nor did he want to. What he wanted was for everything to go back to how it had been before the Council had split them up.

"So that thing will..." Obi-Wan murmured, his eyes glued to the small device Anakin held in his hand.

Curling his fingers around the modified scanner, Anakin nodded his head. "Provided everything works out, yeah, it will."

Obi-Wan was silent for a minute, still regarding the device that would hopefully help him regain his memory, then nodded his head. "Let's get to it, then."

"Okay," Anakin whispered as he turned it on. Checking that everything was working as it should, Anakin stepped behind Obi-Wan where the locking mechanism of the collar was. "Time to see if I'm as good as I claim to be."

* * *

As Anakin walked behind him, Obi-Wan shut his eyes. he didn't know what was coming and that worried him. The only clue he had as to what the collar's purpose was that it was hindering his senses. It was an initial suspicion that Anakin had confirmed for him earlier in the day. Hearing each step that Anakin took, Obi-Wan immediately reached his left hand back, desperate for contact.

A great deal of tension left him when Anakin's fingers threaded through his own.

"Focus on me as much as you can," Anakin instructed, his fingers tightening around Obi-Wan's.

It seemed an odd instruction until Obi-Wan heard a click and then the collar fell away.

* * *

Sitting in the meditation room of his quarters on Coruscant, Yoda's eyes suddenly opened. For the past few days much of his attention had been on the Kenobi and Skywalker partnership. It was becoming impossible for the Council to ignore the bond the two men shared. Yoda knew, like all the other members of the Council, that their bond should have been more closely monitored over the years given the situation surrounding its conception. Grief for his late master had clouded Obi-Wan's judgment and he had used the boy to distance himself from that grief and his brief flirtation with the Dark Side of the Force. Anakin, meanwhile, had always been too emotional for a Jedi, never having mastered the art of releasing his feelings into the Force.

For the moment, though, Yoda's unease was filled with a great sense of relief. Once again he could feel Obi-Wan's presence in the Force.


	10. Part X

The last thing Anakin had expected when he removed the collar was for Obi-Wan to fall into a dead faint. He tossed the now-useless device aside, catching the older man before he tumbled to the ground. Obi-Wan was dead weight, drawing Anakin down to the floor with him, though at a much slower rate. It was shock that brought Anakin to his knees. Once that shock wore off, Anakin reached out with the Force hoping to get a sense of Obi-Wan's mind.

It was chaos. So much that Anakin was nearly drowning in it. All of Obi-Wan's shields were down, giving Anakin a free peek into his master's mind. He resisted the temptation, though. Anakin wouldn't take advantage of Obi--Wan in such a way.

Once he had gotten over his shock, Anakin gathered Obi-Wan into his arms and heaved himself to his feet. He staggered briefly under the weight, but stabilized himself almost immediately and hurried out of the workshop. Owen and Beru were sitting in the courtyard as Anakin rushed through, their footsteps trailing after him as he carried Obi-Wan towards the bedrooms. He was brought up short when the door to the room he and Obi-Wan were sharing slammed closed in his face.

"What the..." Anakin muttered, his confusion growing when he couldn't open the door with the Force. Shifting his hold on Obi-Wan, Anakin waved his hand in front of the door with the exact same effect.

"Anakin, what's going on?" Owen asked, his voice raised slightly in panic.

As Anakin turned towards his step-brother, he noticed that everything in the hallway was vibrating. Chairs, boxes, even the walls were vibrating with a force that definitely wasn't coming from him. In his arms, Obi-Wan shifted, a slight moan escaping his lips. Then, as Obi-Wan's eyes began to flutter and the shudders became all out shaking.

Reaching out through the Force, Anakin followed the path of their training bond back into Obi-Wan's mind, attempting to coax him into a deeper level of unconsciousness. As Obi-Wan slipped deeper, the shaking and rattling faded as well. When at last it stopped, Anakin was able to wave the door open.

"Is everyone all right?" Cleigg demanded as he entered the hallway from near the kitchen, Shmi right behind him.

Having set Obi-Wan down on the bed, Anakin glanced over his shoulder at the four people huddled just inside the doorway. Beru was clinging to Owen who had placed himself between her and the two Jedi. Next to them Cleigg had a protective arm wrapped around Shmi's waist to keep her from venturing further into the room. For his part, Anakin lightly stroked his fingers over Obi-Wan's short hair, the cropped reddish strands bristling against his fingertips and palm.

"Ani, what happened?" his mother pressed, her eyes shifting between him and the unconscious man on the bed.

"Things didn't go exactly as planned."

* * *

Palpatine's frown deepened when he felt the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi's Force signature. He had hoped that the Tusken raiders would kill the irksome Jedi before he was rescued by Skywalker. The tantalizing taste of the boy's anger he had felt a few days before was hardly enough to whet his appetite and he'd concluded then that Kenobi lived. It was one of the few times Palpatine had disliked being proved correct.

That Kenobi had survived would severely alter his plans. It was Kenobi's death that he had counted on to leave young Skywalker susceptible to the Dark Side. He had spent the past ten years working towards just such a moment and would not admit to defeat just yet.

* * *

"I demand to know what's going on here," Cleigg said when Anakin failed to elaborate. "If my home is going to fall down on my head I'll know why."

Anakin didn't rise from the bed, but turned his whole body so that he was facing the others. "When Obi-Wan lost his memory I didn't think that it would effect his ability to use the Force. All of the shields and restraint Obi-Wan usually has have been lose as well. I'm hoping that this happened because he was only half-conscious and that once he wakes fully everything will go back to normal."

"That's not entirely reassuring, lad," Cleigg muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"Something I'm all too aware of," Anakin breathed out, pursing his lips. "I wish that I could give you a definite, but I've never been in a situation like this. I'm only an apprentice. What I need is to get in contact with the Jedi Council, but for that I need my starfighter which right now is in Mos Eisley."

"I can go get it," Owen volunteered.

Anakin arched an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to fly one?"

"Well, no, but--"

"Artoo!" Anakin shouted suddenly, reaching towards his belt. Pulling out the comlink, Anakin set it to the channel R2-D2 was set on. "Artoo, are you there?" It took a moment, but there was a series of bleeps and whirls that he immediately recognized as belonging to the astromech droid. "Artoo, I need you to get back to my starfighter. My half-brother will be coming to Mos Eisley in the morning to return the speeder. I need you to follow his directions and get the both of you to where Obi-Wan and I are. Okay?" Once he'd received an affirmative, Anakin ended the communication.

Even though none of them said anything, Anakin could tell that they were relieved that he and Obi-Wan would soon be out of their hair. Including his mother. Anakin tried his best not to be offended that his mother was siding with her new husband over him. He was her son, her blood, she should have taken his side over the Cleigg and the rest.

"You can all go back to whatever you were doing," Anakin said into the deep silence that followed. "Obi-Wan won't wake for the rest of the night so there's nothing to worry about."

Cleigg, Owen and Beru offered mumbled farewells, but Shmi remained, hovering nervously in the doorway. "What's going on, Ani? What happened earlier?"

"It's what would have happened if Master Qui-Gon had never found me," Anakin said quietly as he moved back around so that he was seated next to Obi-Wan's head, his back pressed up against the wall.

Shmi finally entered the bedroom and seated herself on the end of the bed. It wasn't exactly close, but as there was no other places for her to sit, it was the best that could be done. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Ani."

"I've been training for ten years, Mom, and I'm still not a Jedi Knight," Anakin pointed out, his fingers once again sliding through Obi-Wan's hair. "And it's not just because I don't know all the philosophies and whatnot, because I do... Obi-Wan's made sure of that. The Force is a very complicated thing. It takes a lot of control for it not to get out of hand. For a Force sensitive being to lack that control, it can get very dangerous. Obi-Wan has more control than any other being I've ever met. He's been training since he was three and he was still six years older than I am now before he was knighted. What just happened now was Obi-Wan losing that control when he was barely even conscious."

"Goodness," Shmi gasped, staring at the sleeping man in utter amazement. "And you could...?"

Anakin nodded his head. "It would probably be a lot worse if it was me because I'm more sensitive to the Force than he is. That's why I need to figure out how to fix whatever's wrong with him."

* * *

"I am so very glad to hear that we will have your co-operation in this matter," Darth Sidious murmured, nodding briefly to the expansive creature that shifted in place in the communication hologram. "The sooner you can obtain our objective, the better. And remember, don't kill the Jedi. He is still necessary."

Ending the transmission without waiting for a reply, Darth Sidious pushed back the concealing hood and removing the black robe. That simple action altered his identity entirely, allowing him to slip back and forth between his two roles. It was now Supreme Chancellor Palpatine who strode across the richly appointed office to place the black robe in a concealed closet that required a DNA scan to open. There was nothing sinister about the aging senator. He was a humble man who wanted only to better the lives of those loyal to the Galactic Republic. It was a role that Palpatine had played well for many years and was growing increasingly weary of. The power that he gained was slow to accumulate and had to constantly reign in his own instincts which called for him to seize power by force.

The main hindrances to his power were currently on their way to his office. Four of the insufferable Jedi masters were coming to once again speak about the formation of a Republican army. It was a futile endeavor for the Jedi to try and stop the army's formation. Palpatine would see the creation of his army and the war that would follow. Only then could he create the Republic as he saw fit.

Masters Yoda, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Plo Koon arrived just as they were scheduled to. By that time Palpatine was perfectly ensconced in the act of a senator fearful for the life of a woman he cared deeply for. In truth Palpatine was furious that the meddlesome Senator Amidala had survived yet again. He went to great lengths to ensure the total secrecy of his role in it all and did not enjoy going through the process yet again.

His plans seemed foiled at every turn. By this time he had hoped to be rid of Amidala and have a new apprentice. He had also intended to have the Galactic Senate vote for the formation of an army that answered only to the Senate, and, more importantly, to him. Everything was to have been in place and he would not have needed to placate the Jedi any longer.

"Jedi Masters, already my troubles seem lessened by your presence," Palpatine enthused, throwing his arms out wide as he approached them.

* * *

Though he knew he should rest, Anakin had found himself unable to sleep. Long after his mother had retired to bed, Anakin remained awake, watching over Obi-Wan as he slept. Even with the influence of the Force, Obi-Wan's sleep was a restless one. The older man shifted about uneasily, stilling only when Anakin would ghost his fingertips over sun parched skin.

By the time the household was stirring in the morning, Anakin was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. He couldn't sleep, though. Every single twitch Obi-Wan made would wake him again. Something was going to happen, he could feel it tingling in the air around him. Anakin only wished that he knew exactly what it was that was going to happen. He wanted to ensure that his family and Obi-Wan were safe. What was the use of being a Jedi if I couldn't keep the ones that he loved safe?

It was only with absolute reluctance that he allowed himself to be coaxed away from Obi-Wan's side when it came time for Owen to leave. He once again coaxed Obi-Wan into the deepest levels of sleep that he dared before joining his mother in the hallway.

"I could stay with him if you wanted," Shmi volunteered, lightly brushing his bangs away from his eyes just as she had always done when he was a child.

Anakin glanced back into the room, able to see nothing but the protrusions Obi-Wan's feet made under the blankets from his vantage point. "I should only be a few minutes."

"Go on," she urged, pushing him down the hallway while she turned towards the bedroom.

With one final look back in the direction he had come, Anakin walked out into the courtyard and then up the staircase that would take him up to ground level. Owen and Cleigg were both waiting for him, standing near the speeder.

"This little droid of yours, he can pilot a starfighter?" Owen asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

Despite himself Anakin felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Don't worry about Artoo, he'll get you back here."

The smile was erased a few seconds later when the ground shook from the force of a small explosion. By the time Anakin turned around, an armoured figure was blasting out of the open-air courtyard with the aid of a jet pack, a familiar form held in his arms.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin screamed, shoving Cleigg and Owen out of the way as he jumped onto the speeder. When he turned the ignition, the gauges flared to life for the briefest of second before the engine cut. The second and third times he tried to start the speeder, he was met with the exact same results. Squinting into the distance, Anakin watched the smoke trail, the bounty-hunter disappearing further from sight with each passing moment.


	11. Part XI

It was a loud and sudden burst of laughter that woke him. He didn't wake fully, the sound wavering on the edge of his consciousness. He would have been quite content to slip back under except that he was hit by a sudden and brilliant spotlight that hurt even through his closed eyelids. Squeezing his eyes shut tighter, Obi-Wan tried to turn onto his side, away from the painful light. He managed to lift his shoulders up, nothing more. His wrists, his ankles, even his lips were held in place by thick durasteel bands.

"So our guest has finally woken," a cultured voice murmured from off to his right.

Daring to open his eyes then, Obi-Wan's entire body jerked at the sight of the blue haze that surrounded him. It took him only a moment to realize that it was energy, his nerves tingling with its force. Obi-Wan shut his eyes again, hoping that when he opened them he would find it all to be nothing but some horrible dream.

"There is no sense in denying it, my dear boy. All you would do is waste your energy," that same disembodied voice cautioned.

"Where am I?" Obi-Wan demanded with as much anger as he could muster.

"Ah, there is that fire I had expected from the student of my old padawan," a regal looking older man mused as he strode into view. "But, to answer your question, we are currently aboard my battle cruiser on route to Geonosis."

"Geonosis? What's on Geonosis?" Obi-Wan tried his best to maintain his enraged front while inside fear was creeping in on him.

The last thing he remembered was Anakin stepping behind him to remove the collar. Anakin's left hand had been on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. Anakin had been panting nervously, his breath hot against Obi-Wan's ear. Nervous as he had been, Obi-Wan had felt confident that it would turn out all right. He didn't know what had happened during the time in between, but he couldn't feel the collar around his throat any longer. Obi-Wan didn't know what the advantage was of not having it on as he couldn't feel much of a difference. Of course that could very well have been the blue field of electricity that surrounded him.

"You need not worry about Geonosis," the aging man said in what he most likely assumed as a reassuring tone. "All that is required of you is your presence."

That, to Obi-Wan, sounded most sinister of all.

* * *

Both his mother and Beru had survived the attack relatively unscathed. Neither had been physically attacked, but had instead been rendered unconscious by tranquilizer darts. The explosion itself had occurred in the courtyard, charring much of its surface and walls, but doing little structural damage. There was no doubt, however, that the purpose of the attack had been to abduct Obi-Wan. The purpose of the abduction was irrelevant, so long as Obi-Wan remained unharmed.

Since he couldn't get the speeder back to Mos Eisley without wasting precious time fixing the thing, Anakin had contacted R2-D2 a second time, instructing the astromech droid to pilot the starfighter to the moisture farm. He turned on the tracking beacon on his comlink so that R2-D2 knew where to go before returning to the homestead.

Even as he reached the bottom of the staircase leading into the courtyard, Anakin knew that he was no longer welcome. Shmi, even, was tense around him, despite the ready smile she offered as he approached. It just didn't reach her eyes. Not like it had before that morning.

"Artoo will be here soon with my starfighter," Anakin announced as he approached the group who were busy cleaning up the broken furniture and tools. "You can just tow the speeder out a little ways into the outlands and leave it there. They'll think I was attacked by Tusken raiders when its found. No loss to them."

"What about to me?" Cleigg demanded, holding up to broken parts of a chair. "My family? This bounty hunter or whatever it was could have very well killed my wife and my boy's girlfriend. My home is damaged-- a home that has been in my family for generations --and you act as though nothing has happened. We can't even be sure this Obi-Wan fellow is a Jedi. He certainly didn't act like one."

Anakin pursed his lips, reigning in his anger before it was given life. Cleigg was frightened for his family. Anakin understood that. Had his lot been exchanged with the farmer he would no doubt have been frightened for his family as well. Except that Obi-Wan was his family, the only family that he had known for the past ten years. As much as Anakin loved his mother, he felt as though he barely knew her she had changed so much since he'd left with Qui-Gon and Padmé.

"Obi-Wan was not himself because he had first been betrayed by people he thought of as friends and then again when he was taken by the Tusken raiders. You saw the state he was in," Anakin insisted, fists clenched at his sides. "Those monsters would have killed him if I hadn't found him. They would have tortured him until they'd killed him. So do not dare degrade him because you will not find a better man in all the galaxy."

* * *

"Muted is Obi-Wan's presence," Yoda mused from his seat in the Council chambers. His great round eyes passed over the other Jedi in the room, holding their gaze for a moment each. "Strong it was, for a time, but gone once again, it is. Nearly faded. Creeps in on us, the Dark Side of the Force, it does. Undo, we cannot, what the Force has set in motion."

Ki-Adi-Mundi leaned forward slightly, glancing around the Council room. "And what of young Skywalker? Is it wise to allow him to fly about the galaxy unchecked?"

"Skywalker is far too attached to Obi-Wan," Mace Windu spoke up. "He gives into his emotions far too often. Chosen One or not, Skywalker is a magnet to dark energies."

"A reason for everything there is. Therefore, trust in young Skywalker we must," Yoda said, nodding his head emphatically.

* * *

Anakin had been on Tatooine three days too many. Those three days he had been scouring the underbelly of the various settlements, searching for some clue as to who had hired the bounty hunter that had taken Obi-Wan. He had been to every seedy bar, every pod racing arena, every back alley gambling ring, and every illegal gathering point that he could find. Even when pressed, none would tell him anything.

The easiest thing to do would have been to track Obi-Wan's Force signature to wherever he had been taken. Anakin had tried that, the first day, and it had led him nowhere. While he could still sense Obi-Wan's presence in the Force, something was blocking him from tracking the older man. Even there training bond had some type of blockade that was preventing him from determining just where in the galaxy Obi-Wan had been taken.

It was a HoloNet report, as he sat at the bar in a canteena the fourth morning, that gave Anakin his first clue as to just what was going on.

"Once again negotiations between the Republican Senate and the leaders of the Separatist movement have failed. With each day more and more systems ssecedefrom the Galactic Republic to join the counter movement led by former Jedi Master Count Dooku..."

The HoloNet reporter continued to ramble on about things that mattered little to Anakin. Events that mmatteredeven less when he caught sight of a slightly burred figure standing in the hbackgroundof a resent image of the Separatist leaders. An armoured figure with a helmet identical to the bounty hunter who had taken Obi-Wan. The caption at the bottom listed Geonosis as the location it had been taken. A fact that Anakin saw no reason to doubt as the Republic currently posed no major threat to the Separatists. The Republic currently had no army to speak of, only the Jedi who were too few in number to mount a serious offensive.

Leaving his meal mostly untouched, Anakin fled the canteena, making a beeline for his starfighter. Geonosis was not far away, only a few parsecs, but Obi-Wan had already been there for too long.

Since Artoo had started a blaster fight the night before after insulting a particularly sensitive cyborg, Anakin had left him with the starfighter this time. Anakin hadn't understood the insult himself, but from what he could tell it had been a serious one that had got them banned from that particular bar. It was only some fast talking and some liberal use of the Force that had kept them from being run out of the settlement.

"Come on, Artoo, we're getting out of here," Anakin announced as he approached the starfighter. "I need you to set us a course to Geonosis."

As he climbed into the cockpit, Anakin allowed himself a brief moment to wonder at why the Council hadn't attempted to contact him during the four days that had passed since he'd removed the collar from Obi-Wan. Anakin wasn't fool enough to think that the Council actually trusted him. That fact had been perfectly clear from the first day he had been brought before them by Qui-Gon ten years ago. Even after all the good he had done as Obi-Wan's apprentice had not earned him the trust of the Council.

At that moment Anakin didn't care about the Council. His only concern was his master's safety. He would not abandon Obi-Wan.

* * *

Their prisoner was an amusing individual. The boy had no control over the Force whatsoever and it showed each time he launched one of the guards across the room if they happened to startle him. The first time it had happened, the boy had panicked, backing himself into a corner. As his panic had increased, the guard would be flung about even more as the Force swirled around the captive Jedi. The construction of the cell itself kept those outside safe from the random swells of Force use. It also served as a way to block other Force users from tracking the copper-haired man.

"Is it wise to keep the Jedi here?" Nute Gunray demanded, coming to stand beside Dooku in the observation room next to the cell. "Surely others of his kind will track him here."

"As I have stated before, Viceroy, we want the Jedi to come here. It is why we allowed that picture to be leaked out," Dooku reminded the Neimoidian, scowling at him.

"Our operations are not complete. We are not ready for an assault from the Jedi," Gunray insisted, his voice raising in pitch as his unease increased.

"Things are in motion that you could not possibly understand," Dooku murmured, gazing through the screen at Obi-Wan who was curled up tight in a corner, rocking back and forth slightly.

* * *

There was someone watching him. Even though he couldn't see whoever was watching him, Obi-Wan could feel the eyes on him, trembling as a result. Being watched made him even more uneasy than not knowing what was going on. He had been locked in that blue electrical prison, unable to move and trapped in an uneasy limbo, until they had landed on what he assumed was Geonosis. Another desert. As he was being transported to the cell that he still now locked in, Obi-Wan had a fleeting memory of a lush, green landscape spotted with waterfalls. It had been all too brief, gone in the space of a blink, the intense sun replacing the vision.

Obi-Wan had watched, each time a guard had entered the room, hoping that he could find some way to escape his cell. He didn't want to be used as bait to lure in Anakin a second time. The loss of his personal history was no reason for him to be so vulnerable. The old man that had taunted him that first day hadn't reappeared since, but Obi-Wan was certain that he was being watched by that same man. There was an uneasy thought niggling at the back of his mind, insisting that he should know who that man was. Either by reputation or by personal experience he should have known him.

Only when he could no longer feel the unyielding eyes on him did Obi-Wan uncurl himself. In the far corner of the room was the tray that one of the guards would bring his meal in with. It had been left behind as the man had rushed out in a panic when the bowl had been launched from the tray, spinning about before clattering to the ground, almost as soon as he had entered. Obi-Wan focused on the tray, pouring all of his concentration into it. After only a few seconds it began to shudder and bounce about, rattling against the durasteel floor. Then, in a movement so quick he couldn't track it with his eyes, the thing flew across the room, slamming into the wall with enough force to crumple the striking edge.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Obi-Wan mused, reaching over to pick up the ruined tray. He turned it about in front of his face. A moment later it was ripped out of his hands and sailed across the cell once again.


	12. Part XII

Anakin came out of hyperspace on the edges of Geonosis' atmosphere. He hovered there, concentrating as best he could on Obi-Wan's Force signature. There was only the briefest of flickers coming from Obi-Wan's end of their bond, but it was enough to at least give him a general direction to follow.

As he dropped down into the atmosphere, Anakin frowned at the landscape he was presented with. In the endless expanse of desert it was similar to Tatooine. The jutting rocky crags and outcroppings a familiar terrain. Unlike Tatooine, though, there was no sign of any type of settlements. Even using his long-range scanners he could find no trace of any kind of settlement, only endless desert. Anakin checked his coordinates again, making sure that he was actually on Geonosis.

"I don't like this, Artoo," Anakin murmured, wiping an idle hand across his forehead. "Something isn't right here."

"It was your idea to come here," was the response that flashed across the small translator screen to his left.

"That's not very helpful, Artoo," Anakin snorted, glancing once again out at the barren landscape before them.

Up ahead, close to the horizon line, Anakin spotted a pair of billowing columns of what appeared to be steam. Such a thing was hardly a natural occurrence. Desert planets did not posses enough moisture to create such a vast amount of steam. Factories, though, could easily produce such amounts of steam as large machines were cooled with chilled water or hot and cool liquids were mixed together.

Lowering his altitude so that his starfighter was nearly skirting the ground, Anakin steered them towards the steam columns. With any luck he would be able to track down the bounty hunter and from there to find Obi-Wan.

* * *

"Found your missing planet, you have, Master Secura?" Yoda inquired of the blue holograph that stood in the center of the Council room.

The Twi'lek Jedi nodded briefly, pulling her hood more securely over her head to protect her from the heavy downpour. "I have. And on it I have discovered a most unexpected thing. An entire clone army that was apparently created on the orders of Master Sifo-Dyas nearly ten years ago. The organic source material used was a bounty hunter named Jango Fett."

"Most troubling, this is," Yoda sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Certain you are of this?"

"I am," Aalya confirmed. "I met with the prime minister and it was he who informed me of all of this."

Yoda's frown deepened. In light of the emergency powers that had been granted to Chancellor Palpatine, the formation of a Republican army was almost assured. After that, war was certain to come. The galaxy would be thrown into upheaval, the suffering of many following in its wake.

"Find Dooku now, we must," Yoda announced to the Council. "Stopped, he must be, to ensure peace."

* * *

Obi-Wan awoke with a scream. He scrambled into a crouched position, gasping as though his lungs would never fill. Whatever visions had plagued his sleep and haunted his vision were gone, leaving him alone in the darkness of his cell. It as black as pitch and cold, his body chilled and sore from lying upon the bare durasteel floor.

Relaxing his body somewhat, Obi-Wan ran a trembling hand over his face. He hated these dreams. Every time he unwillingly drifted off he was woken the exact same way. Breathing heavily, his body positively vibrating with emotions he could not define or even understand. That uneasiness would stay with him for hours. He found it unnerving that none of his dreams ever left him with any good feelings. Obi-Wan didn't think that his life could be that bad. It had given him Anakin, after all.

Scooting backwards until he found himself in a corner, Obi-Wan drew his knees up to his chest, resting his forehead on top as he attempted to center himself. No matter how hard he tried, though, everything around him and inside of his was chaos. He wanted to be calm, he knew that he should be calm, but when the lights were shut off during the sleep cycle, Obi-Wan couldn't help but be nervous.

However, it did give him time to think. A great deal of time as he was almost always left alone and Obi-Wan had come to some decisions about his forgotten past.

He didn't like flying. Nothing good ever came from him flying.

He didn't usually spend so much time in the sun wearing only a pair of trousers. His skin was red, peeling and incredibly itchy.

It had been a long time since he had been alone to deal with an aggressive situation.

He felt naked without some type of weapon that he couldn't remember strapped to his belt at his left hip.

He should have been more in control of his body and the space around him, and not crashing plates into walls. The Force, as Anakin had called it.

And Anakin. Anakin was a constant. Even when he'd forgotten everything else, Anakin was the one thing he hadn't forgotten. There was a reason for that. Exactly what that reason was, he wasn't entirely sure of. He had his suspicions, but at the moment they were only that.

Unfortunately there were still too many gaps in his history. It made him vulnerable. He could trust his instincts only so far, especially now that he was separated from Anakin. Leaning into the wall, Obi-Wan curled in on himself even more, shifting about until he found a relatively comfortable position. His body still ached somewhat from the injuries he had received during his time with the Tusken raiders.

It took some time, but Obi-Wan eventually began to drift off. His stiff muscles relaxed and he sunk his body against the cold, unyielding wall. It was far from comfortable, but as his captors hadn't thought to offer him a blanket it was the best that could be managed.

* * *

Never having heard of the obscure planet of Geonosis prior to seeing the HoloNet clip, Anakin hadn't given much thought to what beings would inhabit the planet. The winged, almost insect-like creatures had been something of a surprise as they were so vastly different from the beings he had grown up with on Tatooine. As the Force would have it, the winged Geonosians were more concerned with events inside the main body of the droid factory to notice the long, black clad Jedi hiding in the mouth of an overhanging corridor.

Anakin hoped to stay hidden as long as possible. It would give him more time to find out if Obi-Wan was even here. As of yet he had seen no sign of his master and no hint that he was even in the complex. Or that there was even a place to keep him. That did nothing to ease Anakin's worry. The only reason he didn't allow rage to consume him was because he could still feel Obi-Wan in the Force. It was very faint, a slight tugging at the bond he shared with his master, but it hadn't been completely severed in any way.

"Where are you, Obi-Wan?" Anakin murmured, edging still closer to the edge of the walkway.

As he made to jump down onto the conveyor belt below, Anakin came face to face with one of the winged Geonosians. A moment later his lightsaber was in his hand and ignited. He cut down the creature and jumped down into the factory. There was no point in trying to hide any longer, not when an alarm had been sounded after he'd killed the Geonosian.

* * *

"We have confirmation that Skywalker is on Geonosis," Dooku informed the holographic projection of his master. "At the moment he is in the west factory."

As expected, a twisted grin curbed Darth Sidious' features. "Good. Do not capture him, but instead lead him towards the arena. I want him to arrive in time to see Kenobi executed."

"What are we to do with Skywalker once Kenobi is dead?"

"Nothing," Darth Sidious answered immediately. "Everything will be set in motion once Kenobi is dead. There will be no need to interfere further."

The communication ended there and Dooku was only aware of a great feeling of unease. His earlier confidence had begun to fade as he became more aware of the fact that his master meant for Skywalker to fall to the Dark Side of the Force. Such a fall would be dangerous to his position as apprentice to the Sith Lord. For there were ever only two: a master and an apprentice. And while Dooku himself had no doubts for his experience, both as a Jedi and a Sith, he knew the legends surrounding young Anakin Skywalker. He had already turned his back on the Jedi Order when the boy had first been brought before the Council a decade before, but given his Master's position in the Senate he had been kept well informed of the boy's progress. Anakin Skywalker had been proclaimed the Chosen One by the late Qui-Gon Jinn and Dooku had been most surprised when not even Yoda had countered that claim. Such an individual, Jedi-trained no less, would detrimental to his own position in the coming events.

Dooku had no intentions of being set aside for a mere boy.

* * *

Anakin stumbled, landing awkwardly on one knee as he sought to evade the strike of two energy bolts at the same time. The second of the two left his cloak singed. He should have been able to block both strikes with relative ease. He was exhausted, though. For every Geonosian or battle droid he brought down another was immediately available to take its place. To Anakin it felt as though the process had been going on for hours as he maneuvered his way through the factory towards a section that would hopefully contain far less machinery and liquefied metals.

He was brought up short when he came face to face with Count Dooku.

"So, at last we meet," Dooku murmured as he advanced slowly towards Anakin, hands behind his back. "I've heard a great many things about you, dear boy."

"Where's Obi-Wan?" Anakin demanded, clutching his lightsaber tighter.

"Your single-minded determination for one."

"I know that Obi-Wan's here. Where is he?" Anakin repeated, advancing towards the older man.

Dooku's response was to brings his hands out in front of him, his right hand holding a lightsaber of his own. The former Jedi ignited his blade its red hue contrasting with Anakin's blue one. Anakin immediately went on the offensive, wanting to test out Dooku's strengths against his own. The ease with which Dooku cast aside his strikes was startling. Dooku seemed more amused than anything by Anakin's attack, his lips curved into a smirk.

"So this is what my tutelage to Qui-Gon has warranted," Dooku mused as Anakin retreated a few steps to reassess his attack.

Instead of responding verbally, Anakin surged forward, his arms moving in a series of quick thrusts. Still, Dooku did not fall back. He stood his ground, barely seeming to put out any effort at all. It frustrated Anakin, who attacked with even more fury. Even to himself, Anakin's movements were a blur of motion, the twisting of his blade creating a fan of blue light.

There was a slight shift then. It was subtle, and Anakin barely noticed it. Its effects, though, could hardly be ignored. Anakin extended his right arm too far. It was only for a moment, but that was long enough. One quick stroke and Dooku's lightsaber passed easily through his arm just below his elbow.

Gasping, Anakin stumbled backwards, tripping over a fallen droid and falling onto his back. He lay there, still panting, clutching his right arm to his chest as he stared up at Dooku who was advancing towards him.

"I find it very hard to be that you are the Jedi's supposed Chosen One."


	13. Part XIII

Something was wrong. Obi-Wan didn't know what it was, but there was something very unsettling in the air. He paced the small confines of his cell, the fingers of his right hand clenching and unclenching nervously. The fact that his guards had not arrived with his usual morning rations only increased his unease. Over the past few days Obi-wan had become used to the routine of his prison and knew that its disruption didn't bode well.

What was even more perplexing to Obi-Wan was that he was fairly certain he could sense Anakin's presence somewhere nearby. The knowledge was just somewhere there in his mind, as though inserted by some unknown force. Something had happened to Anakin. Obi-Wan could feel it just as surely as he could feel the insistent itch across the back of his right hand from a still healing blaster wound.

The door to his cell slid open suddenly, startling Obi-Wan. He whirled towards the door, coming face to face with the aristocratic old man for the first time since he'd woken on the way to his new prison. Obi-Wan did his utmost to appear calm and collected, to show no sign of his growing fear.

"Looking at you, one would hardly think were a Jedi," the aged man mused as he stepped into the cell. "You are bedraggled as a nerf herder."

Obi-Wan squared his shoulders, hiding his fear with a mask of indifference. "I want to know what's going on. Who are you?"

"And here I thought I'd made more of an impression on you when you were a child," he murmured as he looked Obi-Wan over from head to foot. "My name is Count Dooku, formerly of the Jedi Order."

"You're a Jedi?"

"I was a Jedi," Dooku corrected. "Until I realized just how false the order is. It does nothing but create martyrs. Such as your young friend."

Obi-Wan tensed at that, unsure of what the man was implying. It didn't bode well for Anakin, that much he was certain of. He opened his mouth to ask Dooku just what was going on when the older man brought his hand up between them, a small disk resting in his palm. Before he could stop himself, Obi-Wan took a step back. From that small disk came a sudden flash of light then a blue holographic image took shape.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan gasped as he watched the small holographic figure battling against another person that he couldn't see. The two beings were moving so quickly that Obi-Wan could barely track the movements of the laser swords they fought with.

Then it happened. Anakin was too slow to block a downward strike and his lasersword, along with most of his right arm, tumbled from view.

"You monster!" Obi-Wan shouted, starting forward before he could think to stop. The room began to vibrate and the disk flew from Dooku's hand, shattering against the opposite wall. "Where is Anakin? What have you done with him?"

Dooku merely smirked at him, completely unconcerned by the sound of bending durasteel. "It would be wise for you to calm down."

"Tell me where Anakin is!"

The air around him swirling, energy vibrating around him. It was pulsing, seeping in and out of his skin, becoming a part of him. Obi-Wan was too enraged to be thrown off by that. The man in front of him had hurt Anakin and Obi-Wan would make him suffer for that. With a scream, Obi-Wan tried to direct all of the energy he could feel moving around him towards Dooku.

"This is far too tedious," Dooku sighed, raising his right hand.

A blue haze surrounded his hand for a brief moment before lightning erupted from his fingertips, slamming into the center of Obi-Wan's chest and sending him flying across the room. Obi-Wan crashed into the wall, clutching feebly at his chest as he slid into a pitiful heap on the floor. It felt as though his chest was on fire. As Dooku crouched down next to him, Obi-Wan lashed out weakly, the blow completely ineffective.

"You should rest while you're able. My master has great plans for you."

* * *

Mace Windu entered the meditation room Yoda was in and sat himself down across from the diminutive Jedi. Neither spoke for several minutes; Yoda meditating and Mace waiting for him to speak. He had sensed something troubling in the Force a short while ago and wanted to confer with the older Jedi about it.

"Great suffering I sense," Yoda said at last. "Young Skywalker and Obi-Wan both, consumed by pain and sadness they are. Be brought safely back to the Temple they should be."

"Can we even be certain they are together?" Mace wondered, furrowing his brows. "The last we saw of him, Anakin was on a mad chase about the galaxy for his master. There is no guarantee that he was able to find Obi-Wan."

Yoda appeared thoughtful, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Yet divulged their base, the Separatists have. A trap, it was. Sprung by the apprentice to save his master."

"I fear that this trap has swallowed the both of them whole," Mace said quietly.

"Loose them to the Dark Side, we cannot," Yoda announced, nodding his head briefly. "Save them, we must. Capture Dooku and defeat the Separatists. To Geonosis you will go with remaining Jedi and to Kamino will I."

* * *

Anakin sat huddled in the far corner of his cell, clutching what remained of his right arm to his chest. Since he'd woken in the cell he'd been trying to meditate, knowing that he would need to separate himself from his pain if he was going to rescue himself and Obi-Wan. His attempts at meditation were proving futile, though. Every time that he closed his eyes or tried to concentrate he would see Obi-Wan. The images that he saw were not peaceful ones. Rather he saw tortured scenarios where Obi-Wan was in a great deal of pain and calling out for Anakin. Those frightening images made Anakin all the more determined to find a way to rescue the other man.

Still holding his arms to his chest, Anakin pressed his shoulder blades more firmly into the wall. He dug his heels down and began to straighten his legs, slowly pushing himself upright. Once he was standing, Anakin stumbled slightly as he took a step away from the wall. He righted himself immediately, but the dizzy feeling remained. Anakin felt somewhat lightheaded and breathed deeply several times to try and center himself. He would be no help to Obi-Wan otherwise.

As a result of the past few hours, Anakin had even less of an idea how he was going to get them out of this. He didn't have any weapons, didn't know what condition Obi-Wan was in, and wasn't even certain his own fighting capabilities with the loss of his arm. He was right-handed and it was instinctual for him to lead with that hand when forced into hand to hand combat.

"This is absolutely insane," Anakin sighed, leaning against the wall. He could only shake his head in wonderment, at the moment having no idea how he was going to get them out of this. Obi-Wan was the one who normally came up with the plans, it was simply his job to give them life. Obi-Wan had always told him that he left too much up to chance.

Of course, sometimes that was the only tactic that worked.

* * *

Obi-Wan wasn't sure how long he lay crumpled on the floor of the cell, but eventually he was able to coax his limbs into moving. A short while later he was even able to stumble to his knees and then used the wall as leverage to climb to his feet. Exhaling a long breath, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Whatever was going on was obviously about to come to a head and he wanted to be prepared. Anakin had been hurt by Dooku and Obi-Wan meant to ensure that the old man was paid back for what he had done.

Once he was certain that his knees wouldn't buckle, Obi-Wan began to pace. He wanted to be ready when the guards returned. All that he knew at the moment was that Anakin had lost his right arm. If he had received any other injuries, Obi-Wan didn't know; that information had been lost when he'd smashed the holodisk. Obi-Wan still wasn't fully able to understand the things he had been able to do since Anakin had removed the collar. Everything was much louder than it had been before and he skin practically tingled with, the fine hairs on the back of his neck often standing on end. Obi-Wan suspected that whatever energies it was that he was sensitive to, it was that which made him aware of the fact that two guards were about to enter his cell.

Squaring his shoulders, Obi-Wan stood directly in front of the door. He felt stronger now and even if he hadn't he was going to get out of there. Anakin was in trouble, he had no other choice.

"You're coming with us," the former of the guards announced as it stepped into the cell.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you," Obi-Wan informed the guard, causing him and his partner to tilt their heads to the side. "I have other important business to attend to."

"He has other business to attend to," the first one echoed, his eyes glazing slightly.

Obi-Wan startled at that, not sure what was going on. Trying again, "I need to leave, now."

"He needs to leave now."

"Stand aside."

"We should stand aside."

When the two guards did just that, Obi-Wan wasn't sure whether he should actually step forward. These guards were offering him a way out, but he wasn't sure that he should take the chance. It was all far too easy for it not to be a trap. However, as he had nothing to loose in taking advantage of the opportunity it presented, Obi-Wan stepped out into the corridor.

The guards offered no resistance whatsoever.

* * *

R2-D2 tottered along through the corridors of the droid manufacturing facility. The system access module on level K-475 told him that his masters were on levels H-71 and I-16 respectively. As Master Obi-Wan was the closer of the two, it was there that the small astromech droid was headed. He would free the two Jedi and then they could finally go home. It was simply far too much hassle to look after the two humans.

* * *

For the past little while, Anakin had felt Obi-Wan getting closer. He tried to reach out to his master through the Force, but there was something in the way. The bond the two of them had shared for the past ten years was still firmly intact. It was simply spread too thin on Obi-Wan's end. The Force seemed to be swirling all around the older man, giving Anakin no clear path to follow in order to contact him. He tried anyway on the off chance that he could give Obi-Wan some sort of path to follow.

Anakin didn't allow himself to think about how exactly Obi-Wan had managed to become free to wander the corridors. He couldn't sense anyone else near his master, but given the odd Force signatures surrounding Obi-Wan it would have been easy for Dooku to mask his presence in the chaos.

Even knowing that Obi-Wan was getting closer, it was still a surprise to Anakin when the door to his cell was opened and Obi-Wan himself was standing on the other side.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted as he rushed into the cell.

Anakin met him half way, winding his arm around the smaller man's shoulders when they met. Obi-Wan's face was pressed into his throat for a brief moment before he pulled back. One hand cupping his cheek, Obi-Wan's free hand touched Anakin's right shoulder and trailed his fingers down until he reached the elbow. Obi-Wan's fingers clenched and then he lifted his gaze to meet Anakin's.

"I saw it... Dooku, he showed me... Anakin, your arm," Obi-Wan stammered, leaning in so that his forehead touched Anakin's. "Are you all right? Does it hurt badly?"

"How did you get here?" Anakin demanded, nuzzling his nose against Obi-Wan's.

Obi-Wan chuckled quietly, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know. I told the guards that I had other business and to stand aside and they did just that. Are you all right?"

"I feel much like you look," Anakin offered, sliding his fingers into the short strands at the base of Obi-Wan's skull.

"That bad," Obi-Wan murmured, stroking Anakin's cheeks with his fingertips.

A shrill series of beeps and whistles from the corridor brought them back to their current situation.


	14. Part XIV

Obi-Wan couldn't stop touching Anakin. He feared that as soon as he moved away from Anakin that the other man would disappear from sight. Obi-Wan didn't know what was going on. How he had gotten out of the cell so easily or how he had even been able to find Anakin. Obi-Wan didn't understand it, but at the moment the only thing that concerned him was that he was with Anakin. Dooku couldn't hurt Anakin again as long as he was there to protect him. He had made the guards go away, after all.

"We need to get out of here," Anakin said, nudging his nose against Obi-Wan's cheek. "Artoo can patch into the building's computer system and find us a safe route out."

Winding the fingers of his left hand around the thin braid that trailed down from behind Anakin's ear, Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled deeply. "Go. Yes, we need to go. Where are we going to go?"

"I'll figure that out once we get back to my ship," Anakin assured him, nodding his head briefly. "We'll go somewhere safe. Somewhere that you can get better."

"What about you?" Obi-Wan protested, pulling back so that he could see Anakin's eyes. "You're arm. We have to do something about your arm. There has to be some way to fix it."

A smile curved the corners of Anakin's lips as he leaned forward to press a kiss to Obi-Wan's forehead. We'll fix my arm too. Don't worry. Everything will be all right in a little while."

There was a second series of beeps, more insistent than the last ones.

"We're coming, Artoo," Anakin assured the small droid as he pulled away from Obi-Wan. He didn't move far, his hand still resting on Obi-Wan's arm.

As Anakin started towards the doorway, his hand slid down to grasp Obi-Wan's. Obi-Wan shifted their grip, folding his fingers through Anakin's and squeezing. That he was nervous was a vast understatement. They had no weapons, Obi-Wan himself still only wearing trousers and a pair of boots, both of them were injured, and their only protection was what the small astromech droid could offer. Oddly enough, Obi-Wan felt familiar in the situation.

With each step, Obi-Wan could feel a thick, dark tentacle poking at his brain. As it attempted to probe deeper into his mind, a pain built at the base of his skull. There was a sudden stab and Obi-Wan stumbled, dropping to his knees despite Anakin's best attempt to keep him on his feet. Both of his hands went up to hold his head, the fingers of his right hand still twined with Anakin's.

* * *

Almost as soon as they'd left the cell, Anakin could feel Dooku's presence. The former Jedi was some distance away, obviously attempting to stall them as he sent troops after them. By simply strengthening his mental shields, Anakin was able to block all but a small trickle of Dooku's probing. He had not realized Obi-Wan's plight until the older man stumbled to his knees, clutching at his head. 

"Obi-Wan," Anakin cried as he dropped to his knees in front of his master.

Scooting forward, Anakin attempted to draw the other man into his arms, guiding him with the stump that had been his right arm and a few subtle nudges of the Force. Reaching out through the Force, he latched onto their training bond, using it to anchor himself to Obi-Wan's mind. Acting purely on instinct, Anakin attempted to use his own abilities to help shore up the barriers around Obi-Wan's mind to keep Dooku out.

"Focus on me," Anakin murmured as he curled his upper body over Obi-Wan's hunched form. "You can feel me and hear my voice. Just focus on that and push everything else away. Focus on me."

As he spoke, Anakin could feel Dooku's presence fading not only from Obi-Wan's mind, but from his own as well. The count appeared distracted and Anakin planned to take full advantage of that distraction so that he and Obi-Wan would have time to escape.

Obi-Wan mumbled something against Anakin's stomach that he couldn't hear, his left arm moving to snake around the younger man's waist. His other hand still clutched Anakin's tightly. The two men stayed crouched together in the corridor for several minutes, R2-D2 standing guard, while Obi-Wan tried to regain his center. Anakin kept himself attuned to the area around them, making sure that no one was in the immediate vicinity.

There was a warm, pleasant humming in his mind. He'd been aware of Obi-Wan's presence in his mind since he was nine, but this was something more. Anakin could almost physically feel the tentative caress from Obi-Wan's mind. The trail of their bond was much more substantial than it had been only minutes before.

"We need to get moving again," Anakin prodded, nuzzling his face against the back of Obi-Wan's neck.

It took a little bit more coaxing, but Anakin was able to urge Obi-Wan to his feet. The older man was pale, his body still trembling slightly from the invasion into his mind. Anakin kept an arm around Obi-Wan's waist, supporting him as they made their way through the corridors towards what Anakin hoped was an exit and his starfighter.

Slowly, with each step he took, Obi-Wan began to rely less and less on Anakin's support. Anakin could feel the strength returning to his master. Even so, Obi-Wan did not pull away. He stayed close to Anakin, hopefully taking the same comfort from Anakin's presence as Anakin did from his. Though he had tried not to, during their latest separation Anakin had been unable to keep his thoughts from straying into darker territory. He had feared at times that he would not see Obi-Wan again. That Obi-Wan had been taken from him permanently. Anakin had tried his best not to succumb to his doubts, knowing that they led to the Dark Side. With Obi-Wan now returned to him, Anakin could easily release those fears into the Force as he had been taught.

* * *

In the corridor behind the grand veranda overlooking the execution arena Count Dooku was pacing. The guards that he had sent to retrieve Kenobi had returned with glazed expressions to inform him that the Jedi had informed them that he had other business to attend to and needed to leave. 

"So you allowed him to simply leave?" Dooku ground out, keeping his face expressionless.

"Yes, my lord. It was what he requested."

With a deep scowl and a wave of his hand, Dooku manipulated the Force, squeezing the larynx of the hapless soldier and his companion. When both men fell to the ground in lifeless heaps, Dooku turned about on his heel and stalked out onto the balcony where Nute Gunray, Po Nudo of Ando, Toonebuck Toora of Sy Myrth, Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild and the other leaders of the Separatist movement, along with the bounty hunter Jango Fett waited for the scheduled executions. An execution that, irritably enough, was to be delayed.

"What is going on here, Dooku?" the Neimoidian demanded of him, his beady eyes trained on the former Jedi. "I thought there were to be executions."

"A minor setback, Viceroy," Dooku placated him, smiling placidly at him and the others gathered on the balcony. "Give me but a short while and I will have the situation remedied."

* * *

All of the corridors looked the same. Obi-Wan could sense no difference in any of them even though the small droid appeared confident of its path. That concern was, oddly enough, only secondary in Obi-Wan's mind at the moment. What puzzled Obi-Wan more was the strange aura of peace brushing against his mind. The presence was familiar to him and it didn't take Obi-Wan long to come to the realization that it was Anakin's own consciousness he could feel weaving in and out of his own. 

_... find somewhere safe. We need to find somewhere that Dooku can't find us. Where we can find out what happened to Obi-Wan..._

_Don't forget about yourself, Anakin. You've been injured far worse than me. _

Anakin stopped suddenly, twisting about and grabbing hold of Obi-Wan's shoulders. He turned both of them so that they stood face to face. The blue eyes Obi-Wan found himself gazing into were shining with an emotion that he couldn't quite place. He lowered his head, waiting for a rebuke, only to have Anakin raise his head with fingertips under his chin.

_Obi-Wan?_

Obi-Wan hesitated a moment, suddenly unsure. _Is this not right? I did not mean to invade your thoughts. Only they were so loud..._

_You can hear my actual thoughts?_

_Well, yes. Should I not be able to?_

Anakin's mouth quirked slightly before offering Obi-Wan a fond smile. _There is a great deal about this mission that should not be. This, however, is more welcome than the rest._

With only Anakin's word to go by, Obi-Wan nodded his head solemnly. Their gazes held for a moment and then they were hurrying to catch up with R2-D2 who had not stopped during their brief exchange.

* * *

Something had gone amiss. Rather than feeling the demise of Obi-Wan Kenobi's Force signature and an intense rage darkening Anakin Sky walker's, Darth Sidious instead felt something quite the opposite. There was pain and suffering to be sure, but even still there was hope. Hope that should not have been there if Tyrannus was doing as he'd been ordered. The execution of young Skywalker's beloved master should have already taken place, before the boy's very eyes. Sidious wanted to ensure that his future apprentice was forever haunted by the fact that he had not been strong enough or fast enough to save his master's life. 

Ten years ago just such an event had nearly presented him with a spy lurking within the meddlesome Jedi Order. Though still a padawan, Kenobi had flirted dangerously with the Dark Side of the Force. Sidious had reveled in the anger and hatred that had been rolling off the young man for far too short a time. Indoctrinated with the teachings of the Dark Side, Kenobi and Skywalker would have been formidable tools in his bid to destroy the Jedi Order and the Republic they served. Sidious had no doubt that then, as now, it would have only taken the fall of one to bring about that of the other.

"Perhaps it is just as well that Dooku didn't kill Kenobi," Sidious mused aloud as he fingered the hilt of Obi-Wan's lightsaber.

* * *

Anakin cried out as he was quite sudden shoved to the ground by Obi-Wan. Before he could even think to guess what was going on, Obi-Wan had surged forward, launching himself at a figure stepping forward from an intersecting corridor. The figure that Obi-Wan tackled to the ground seemed equally surprised and did not have time to deactivate his lightsaber. Seeing Obi-Wan reach a hand towards that deadly weapon caused a surge of panic to course through Anakin and he cried out a second time, scrambling forward as quickly as he could. 

"Obi-Wan, no!"

Sensing the motivation behind Obi-Wan's actions, Master Windu deactivated the violet blade just as Obi-Wan's left hand reached for it.

Obi-Wan struggled as Anakin wound his arm around his bare torso, drawing him off of Master Windu. It would have been a difficult task if he'd had two arms, but the loss of his right arm made it that much harder. He managed with some difficulty while Obi-Wan spewed forth a series of curses in half a dozen languages, kicking out at the fallen Jedi Master.

"Obi-Wan, calm down," Anakin pleaded, holding tight to the other man as he continued to lash out and curse. "Master Windu is a friend. He doesn't mean either of us any harm."

Tensing, Obi-Wan looked up briefly at Anakin before turning a glare towards the other man. "He doesn't feel like a friend."

"He is an ally then," Anakin amended, knowing that he did not have the time to explain the complicated relationship that existed between them and Master Windu. "He will not hurt either of us."

Still uncertain, Obi-Wan nonetheless relaxed against Anakin's chest. Anakin could only imagine the sight they presented to the ever-serious Jedi Master: the Chosen One and his master, exhausted, filthy, in various states of undress, bruised, burned, battered, bloodied, and missing limbs. Given his ability in the Force, he could likely sense the increased bond between them, a solid tether joining their souls.

All things considered, Master Windu appeared to be taking it all in stride.


	15. Part XV

When Mace Windu had sensed the presences of Kenobi and Skywalker as he made his way towards the execution arena, he had altered his course in order to track down the two errant Jedi. There was still time enough for him to make the rendezvous point, but for the moment making contact with Obi-Wan and Anakin took precedent. What he had not expected was Obi-Wan's violent attack that knocked him to the ground.

The man before him hardly resembled the stoic, restrained Jedi Knight that had left Coruscant less than two weeks before. This Obi-Wan was frantic, all of his restraint shattered, as he fought to protect his padawan from what he'd perceived as a threat. Mace had been startled by the passion that infused Obi-Wan's efforts, and equally so by the ease with which Anakin had been able to calm him. Only when Obi-Wan had relaxed was Mace able to take in the situation before him.

Something had changed between the two Jedi. The passion that had always consumed Anakin Skywalker had not subsided. It had, though, been given an outlet.

"What are you doing here, Master Windu?" Anakin asked, the fingers of his remaining hand gliding over Obi-Wan's stomach in a calming gesture. "How did the Jedi know to come to Geonosis?"

"We have come here for our own affairs," Mace informed the pair. "There are events taking place you know nothing about. Events that you should remain out of given your current conditions."

"We can help," Anakin insisted, affronted by the warning.

Mace arched an eyebrow. "Do you have any weapons?"

"Not at the moment, no," Anakin admitted, his fingers pressing against the flat plain of Obi-Wan's stomach. "They don't exactly allow prisoners to keep their arms."

"Literally it would seem," the Jedi Master mused only to find himself flat on his back again with Obi-Wan glaring down at him.

"Do not mock what you do not know," Obi-Wan hissed, his fingers tightening around Mace's throat.

"I mocked nothing, my friend," Mace said calmly, not wanting to provoke the insensible man. "Now, if you would be so kind as to remove yourself from me, I have a schedule to keep."

Obi-Wan scowled darkly, but did as requested. "I may have been your friend once, but that does not necessarily hold true now."

Mace Windu rose to his feet, straightening his robes as he did. "So it would seem."

* * *

Beaten down, frightened, weaponless, Obi-Wan was still a powerful figure as he stood his ground before Master Windu. In the past there had always been a serenity about Obi-Wan, even in the midst of battle. It was something that had always frustrated him about his master. In the ten years they had known each other, Anakin could remember only a handful of times that he had seen the older man give into his emotions. That number had risen astronomically since that failed trip to the Ranth'fer system. At the present, Obi-Wan was bubbling over with emotions that he had never before acknowledged.

_Obi-Wan, please relax,_ Anakin pleaded as he climbed stiffly to his feet. _There is no point in quarreling with Master Windu._

Anakin watched Obi-Wan's shoulders tense briefly before he took a step back. A moment later he was at Anakin's side, his fingers twitching as he fought the urge to touch the younger man. Taking the decision from him, Anakin reached out, wrapping his fingers around Obi-Wan's wrist and pulling him closer.

_I don't like him._

There was no stopping the grin that formed at the petulant sound of Obi-Wan's voice as it echoed in his mind. _You'll only exhaust yourself if you if you keep fighting with him._

The answering scowl told Anakin all he needed to know about Obi-Wan's opinion of that. Still, as though to prove his point, Anakin noticed that Obi-Wan was wavering somewhat. Not wanting to draw attention to it, Anakin released Obi-Wan's wrist and placed his hand on the small of his back, steadying him.

"You do not mean to leave us without weapons, do you?" Anakin asked, shifting still closer to Obi-Wan, offering his body as support.

"Unfortunately, I have none that I can spare," Master Windu said, already moving past them. "It would be best if you continue the way you were heading. There are several transports out in the dunes near to where you left your starfighter. Find them and you will find healers on board. We will speak about this at great length once we have completed our objectives here."

Then they were alone in the corridor. There were so many emotions swirling around Obi-Wan that Anakin could barely think straight. So he moved in front of Obi-Wan, pulling the smaller man against his chest. Immediately, Obi-Wan wound his arms around Anakin, burrowing his face into the crook of his neck. Anakin sunk his fingers into the cropped copper hair, holding tight to Obi-Wan. With each frantic breath, Obi-Wan began to calm.

"Are you sure that we can trust him?" Obi-Wan said into his shoulder.

"As much as we can trust anyone," Anakin sighed, wishing that he sounded more convincing. "Master Windu's a member of the Jedi Council. He wouldn't send us into a trap."

Obi-Wan seemed uncertain, but nonetheless he followed after Anakin. The two men remained close, their shoulders brushing as they made their way through the bowels of the factory.

* * *

Obi-Wan blinked repeatedly as they stepped out into the scorching sunlight. After a week in the dim lighting of the factory, the unfiltered sunlight hurt his eyes. He squinted, waiting for his pupils to adjust to the light. Ultimately, though, Obi-Wan was grateful for the sunlight. Surely he wouldn't have envisioned such a painful salvation if it had all been a hallucination brought on by too much time in solitude. He would have simply barricaded himself in a secluded room with Anakin and kept themselves hidden until it was safe.

At the moment, though, safe was a relative term.

"Here, take this," Anakin said as he slipped out of his torn cloak. "You're too fair-skinned for this planet."

Obi-Wan thought of protesting, but the expression on Anakin's face prevented him. Anakin was determined to offer him this small comfort and Obi-Wan could not find it in himself to deny him. It was a relief to slip the hood over his head, blocking out a small portion of the sun's rays. Immediately, though, he felt guilty when he caught sight of Anakin squinting in the sunlight. So, drawing the younger man against his side, Obi-Wan lifted one of the edges of the cloak and draped it over Anakin's head. It required keeping his arm across Anakin's shoulders to hold the fabric so that it wouldn't slip away, but Anakin's responding arm around his middle was definitely welcomed.

"How far do we have to go?" Obi-Wan asked as they trudged after R2-D2 through the dunes.

Anakin paused for a moment, glancing around at the surrounding desert. He nodded off to the right, using his grip to turn Obi-Wan in the proper direction. "Just over that ridge and a little bit along the ravine. Not too far."

With no choice but to follow, Obi-Wan allowed Anakin to lead them away from the factory. Being out in the open, however, made Obi-Wan nervous. He didn't like being so exposed, pray to anyone who happened to glance out at the barren plains. If someone happened upon them, they would have no way to defend themselves. His odd ability to fling his dinner plate across the cell would be entirely useless.

"Was it a trap, you think? The guards letting me go so easily?" Obi-Wan asked in a quiet voice once they were a safe enough distance from the factory.

"No," Anakin was quick to assure him. "One of the powers the Force grants us is the ability to alter the thoughts of the weak-minded. You've always been able to do it with barely a thought so it's no wonder it's the first of your talents to return."

"Would this Force also be responsible for my tossing dinner plates about without lifting a finger?"

Anakin's grin was immediately. "Yes it's also responsible for you tossing about dinner plates. Though that could also simply be because you're a finicky eater."

"It's hardly being finicky to desire something palatable," Obi-Wan countered, fixing a glare on Anakin for a brief moment.

They continued on in silence for a while, their main concern simply being to make it to Anakin's ship. And the Jedi. Obi-Wan didn't know anything about the Jedi, except what Anakin had told him. Master Windu had been the only other example of a Jedi he'd had and if Anakin was right, and this Master Windu was one of the Jedi elite, Obi-Wan didn't much care for their Order. Obi-Wan still trusted no one except Anakin.

* * *

Though it would be several days before war was officially declared between the Separatists and the Republic, it began under the hot sun of Geonosis. More than two hundred Jedi Knights and Masters infiltrated the execution arena, catching the Separatist leaders unawares. Yet it was not so easy for the Jedi. An army of droids, far greater in number than their own forces, took up the battle, killing many Jedi before Master Yoda arrived with the clone army that had been created in secret over the past ten years. An army with a single purpose: to follow their masters orders.

It was a day which Darth Sidious had been waiting ten years for. Both armies would ultimately answer to him. Giant game pieces, they would create an empire for him. All was not as Sidious had envisioned it. He had thought to have Anakin Skywalker as his new apprentice. Obi-Wan Kenobi was to have been killed and in his grief and anger Anakin was to have slipped headlong into the Dark Side of the Force. Kenobi, however, still lived, and so long as he breathed Anakin would not forsake the light.

Darth Sidious was nothing if not a patient man. He had already waited several decades for everything to fall into place. It would be of no consequence for him to wait a few years longer. In the end he would have his empire, and Skywalker would be by his side.

* * *

It was a battleground they'd stumbled upon. The simple transports Anakin had been expecting were battleships swarming with white armoured soldiers who immediately turned their blasters upon them. Anakin felt Obi-Wan tense and take a half-step before, placing himself in between Anakin and the raised blasters.

"I am Padawan Anakin Skywalker!" Anakin shouted as he moved to stand abreast of Obi-Wan. "This is my master, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi."

The blasters remained pointed at them, their aim never wavering. Then suddenly the first of the armoured soldiers was lifted high above the ground, screaming, and discharging their weapons. Several other soldiers opened fire, their aim accurate and aimed at him and Obi-Wan. Anakin did what he could to keep them safe, nudging the soldiers' minds with the Force to hinder their aim. He heard Obi-Wan cry out in pain then and a moment later the dozen or so soldiers firing on them were bowled over by an unseen wave. Anakin himself was knocked to the ground, skidding backwards across the sand.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin shouted, awkwardly fumbling back to his feet as fast as he was able and rushed to where Obi-Wan knelt hunched forward, forehead pressed to the ground. "Obi-Wan!"

Gasping, Obi-Wan rose stiffly to his knees, his body arching backwards. Anakin caught him around the shoulders, easing him down carefully so he could see where Obi-Wan had been hit. There was a fresh, bloodied hole in Obi-Wan's left side. It was Anakin's instinct to staunch the wound with his right hand. Panting and trembling, it was Obi-Wan who placed his own hand over the injury, crying out from the pain of it as he did so.

"Somebody help us!" Anakin shouted, clutching Obi-Wan to him with his left arm.


	16. Part XVI

He was floating, bobbing up and down slowly. It was extremely calming. Soothing. As much as he wanted to relax, there was a niggling of doubt in the back of his mind. It kept him from simply allowing himself to slip back into that welcoming haze. When he realized just what it was, Obi-Wan reached out, searching for that comforting hum that was Anakin's presence. Obi-Wan's eyes shot open when he encountered only nothingness.

For the first time Obi-Wan realized that what he was floating in was indeed liquid.

_ANAKIN!_ Obi-Wan screamed silently as he began thrashing about in his watery prison. _Anakin, where are you? Anakin!_

It was a tube that he was in. Obi-Wan pounded his fists against the glass walls, hoping to break them so that he could escape. He had to find Anakin. The last thing he could remember was them being fired upon by those white armoured soldiers. If Anakin had been killed...

_Anakin!_

Then, suddenly, Anakin was there. He was hazy, the glass between them, but there was no mistaking his identity. Obi-Wan pressed his right hand against the glass, trying to reach the younger man. On the opposite side of the glass, Anakin touched his palm to Obi-Wan's. Even though he couldn't physically feel him, Obi-Wan was comforted by his presence. He tried to speak, but there was something lodged in his throat preventing him. Without thought, Obi-wan lifted his left hand to the breathing apparatus he could feel stretching his mouth wide. Breathing in a final, deep lungful of air, Obi-Wan pulled.

There was a pounding on the glass. Obi-Wan only dimly registered that it was Anakin's right hand making the noise. Holding his gaze on Anakin's wavering countenance, Obi-Wan continued to pull. Obi-Wan's eyes widened at the painful drag in his throat the act created, but he would not be deterred.

His vision began to waver and he was having difficulty breathing before he had the tube even halfway out. And Anakin was screaming. Through the liquid and glass that separated them, Obi-Wan could see him screaming even if he couldn't hear the words. Obi-Wan's actions were cut short by a sudden upward momentum. With both hands he scrabbled at the glass, trying to grasp at Anakin, not caring that it was a futile act.

* * *

Anakin scrambled up the small set of stairs to the platform where Obi-Wan would end up now that he had been released from the bacta tank. Anakin had never seen anyone react like that upon waking in the tank. Obi-Wan had been frantic and Anakin feared for him when he began to remove the breathing tube. He hadn't thought that Obi-Wan would be so disoriented. Obi-Wan was supposed to have come back to awareness slowly, be relaxed. He wasn't supposed to have been trying to punch his way free of it.

"... Anakin..."

When he reached the top of the stairs, Obi-Wan had been fully removed from the bacta tank. The copper-haired man was lying curled on his side, weakly coughing up the fluid he'd swallowed in his attempt to get the breathing tube out. Anakin rushed forward, immediately gathering Obi-Wan into his arms.

"Relax, Obi-Wan," Anakin murmured into Obi-Wan's soaked hair. "You're all right. You were in a bacta tank. They had to put you in there after you got shot. But you're okay now."

Still coughing, Obi-Wan clutched weakly at Anakin's left arm which was draped across his stomach. He was mumbling nonsense in between coughs, his eyelids fluttering. Anakin tried to listen, to figure out just what it was Obi-Wan was saying, but the words were too garbled to understand.

"He needs more rest," the medical droid informed Anakin. "Master Kenobi woke up sooner than we'd expected."

"Can I take him back to our rooms?" Anakin was undeterred when the droid responded in the negative. "But I'm certain that Master Kenobi will recover better in our rooms. It'll be more familiar to him and that's what he needs right now."

"Agree with young Skywalker do I."

Anakin twisted his head about, staring at Yoda who was hovering just above the level of the platform on his hoverchair. He bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered, his grip tightening around Anakin's forearm for a brief moment. There was panic in Obi-Wan's voice, fear that Anakin had hoped to never hear again.

"I'm right here," Anakin assured him, turning back to peer down at him with what he hoped was a comforting smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

Obi-Wan didn't look the least bit assured by that. He had his upper lip trapped between his teeth as he stared up at Anakin, brows furrowed slightly. "The hum is gone. I can't hear you."

Anakin squeezed his eyes shut tight. He'd fought Master Yoda the entire way back to Coruscant, pleading for him to not put the Force inhibitor back on Obi-Wan. He couldn't stand the nothingness his bond with Obi-Wan evaporated into when it was on. It wasn't only for his own sake that he wanted the inhibitor left off. He'd wanted Obi-Wan to have at least that one small comfort when he woke. Anakin was fairly certain that was why Obi-Wan had reacted so violently in the bacta tank. Anakin knew full well how frightening it was to suddenly be without that bond, to expect to feel someone else's presence and experience only a void. He'd been fully coherent when the bond had been severed the first time and it had still pained. Obi-Wan had been unconscious as a result of the blaster shot and had woken without the one comforting presence he knew.

"Remove the collar you may," Yoda assented in response to the unasked question. "However, calm Obi-Wan must remain till more control he learns."

* * *

Obi-Wan tensed slightly when the medical droid approached with a strange looking probe aimed at him. He tried to curl into himself, but Anakin wouldn't let him. At Anakin's prodding he tilted his head back, exposing his throat to the droid. Even with Anakin's comforting presence, Obi-Wan screwed his eyes shut tight as the metallic probe neared his throat. There was a faint i click /i and Obi-Wan was immediately filled by a rush of warmth.

_Anakin...?_

_I'm right here, Obi-Wan._

Obi-Wan inhaled a deep breath through his nose, a smile curving the corners of his lips. That simple nudge he could feel against his mind, the one that was Anakin, filled him with such comfort that for the moment he didn't care that he didn't know what was going on around him.

"Take Obi-Wan back to his room, you should," the croaking voice of Master Yoda said from somewhere behind Anakin. Obi-Wan could not recall ever meeting this particular Jedi, but at the moment he liked him far better than he did Master Windu. "Rest there he will before the Council you present yourselves to."

Even though he had a feeling that he'd been sleeping for quite some time, Obi-Wan was exhausted and required Anakin's help to get to his feet. He wavered slightly, his balance out of sorts, but was able to right himself after a moment. It was around then that Obi-Wan realized that he was only wearing what amounted to a white loincloth. Hardly substantial enough to be wandering the distance between where they were now and the quarters Anakin had spoken of.

Mostly likely plucking the thought from his very mind, Anakin removed his cloak and draped it over Obi-Wan's shoulders. As Anakin went to pull away, Obi-Wan reached out and grabbed hold of Anakin's gloved right hand. Muddled as his memory was of events long past, Obi-Wan knew that his memory of recent events hadn't been altered and the last time he'd been conscious Anakin had been missing his right hand at the elbow.

"Replaced, young Skywalker's hand was. Durasteel where flesh and bone once was."

Obi-Wan swiveled his head towards Master Yoda's voice, his eyes widening at the sight. He hadn't given much thought to what the mysterious Master Yoda would look like but the little green goblin creature most definitely wasn't it.

"Lighten my heart it does to see you well, Obi-Wan," Master Yoda said affectionately. "Lost to us we feared you were."

Obi-Wan could think of no response to give save a brief nod of his head.

"Leave you now, I will. Rest the both of you should and tomorrow gather the Council I will," Master Yoda informed them, turning about on his hover chair and leaving them alone on the platform with the medical droid.

* * *

Anakin doubted very much that Master Yoda had intended for them to rest together, but neither was willing to let the other out of his sight yet. They were lying tangled together beneath the sheets on Obi-Wan's bed, both of them fighting off sleep. It was the first moment of calm either of them had enjoyed in what felt like months. They laid quietly, soaking up one another's presence in the Force, feelings of safety and comfort passing between them.

"Are you really all right?" Obi-Wan whispered, the fingers of his left hand toying with the slender braid that lay between them. His eyes, however, that serene blue-grey gaze was locked on his face, searching out any hint of a lie.

"I'm really all right," Anakin confirmed, lifting his right hand to wiggle his new mechanical fingers in the small space that separated them. "The medical droids attached this yesterday while you were still in the bacta tank. I haven't had much time to test it out yet, but I'm told that it will function just as well as my own hand did."

"Can I see it?"

Obi-Wan's voice, when he'd asked the question, was hesitant. His eyes dropped from Anakin's for that brief moment, as though he didn't have the right to ask such a thing. So Anakin gave him his answer. Holding his right hand out between them, Anakin turned his arm just enough so that Obi-Wan could reach the clasps that held the glove tight around his new durasteel appendage.

With the utmost care, as though it were living flesh beneath, Obi-Wan unclasped the glove. He then slid his hand up Anakin's arm, twining their fingers together. He tightened his grip, sinking his short nails into the new leather, and pulled. Slowly, inch by inch, the durasteel skeleton that was his right forearm was exposed.

Once the glove was removed, Obi-Wan set it down on the brief bit of mattress that separated them, his eyes never straying from Anakin's right hand as he flexed it about.

"It's beautiful," Obi-Wan murmured in awe.

Still staring at it in wonderment, Obi-Wan ran his fingers along the different components, tracing the metallic bones and ligaments with wide eyes. Anakin wanted to feel self-conscious, and had before, but at that moment he could only watch Obi-Wan who was marveling at the technology like a child presented with a new toy.

With his free left hand, Anakin pressed his fingertips against the underside of Obi-Wan's jaw, feeling the heat of his skin and the pulse of his heart. It reassured him that Obi-Wan was alive. Dooku and Sidious still had to be dealt with, but at the moment there was only the two of them lying curled together on the narrow bed.

* * *

"How is it that Kenobi and Skywalker have returned to Coruscant?" Sidious demanded of the diminutive hologram of Count Dooku. "I was under the impression that Kenobi was to be killed and Skywalker left open to the influences of the Dark Side. When were those plans altered?"

"Kenobi was more tuned into the Force than we had originally assumed," Count Dooku informed his master, his head bowed respectfully. "He was able to trick his way past his guards and find his way to Skywalker. With the Jedi attacking simultaneously we did not notice their escape until things had calmed down."

Sidious glared at his apprentice, the scowl mostly obscured by his hood. "Guard the Separatist leaders then, if you can manage that much. I will handle things from here."

"As you wish, my master."

"I do wish it."


	17. Part XVII

Anakin was pacing nervously outside of the Council room. Something was happening. There had to be or else the Council would not have insisted on seeing Obi-Wan alone. The only time they ever wanted to see Obi-Wan alone was when Anakin had done something unbecoming of a Jedi and they wanted to speak to Obi-Wan before reprimanding him. In his present state, however, there was no need to brief Obi-wan before Anakin was punished for his antics on Ranth'fer on Geonosis.

In order to maintain the secrecy of the Council's dealings there was a dampening field around the Council room to prevent any other Force sensitive beings from eavesdropping. As much as he understood the need for that kind of protection, at the moment it only made Anakin anxious.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Anakin stabbed his fingers into his hair when the second hour passed. There was nothing that would take over two hours for the Council to discuss with Obi-Wan alone. Obi-Wan only had two weeks' worth of memory, most of which he'd spent as a prisoner of Count Dooku.

Sudden there was a loud crash from the other side of the door. The door slid open then and Obi-Wan burst out of the Council room. His eyes were wild, unseeing, and behind him flowed voices from the Council room, the Masters all talking one on top of another. Anakin didn't care about any of it. He held his arms out, immediately enveloping Obi-Wan when he stepped within reach. His body was positively vibrating as he clutched tightly at the back of Anakin's robes.

"I don't want them in my head. Keep them out," Obi-Wan moaned into Anakin's chest. "Keep them out. Keep them out."

Anakin held Obi-Wan tighter, his face buried in the short copper hair. "It'll be okay, Obi-Wan. I won't let them in your head anymore. I'll keep them out."

Lifting his head slightly, Anakin glared through the open doorway. The Jedi Masters were all still involved in their frantic conversation. Knowing that the Council still wanted to talk to him, Anakin steered Obi-Wan down the corridor and away from that area of the Temple. Even if one of the Masters had appeared then, Anakin wouldn't have stopped. Obi-Wan was far more important to him than that Sith-cursed Council and their robotic, emotionless Code.

At the end of the corridor, Anakin positioned himself between Obi-Wan and the Council then punched the panel to call for the turbolift. It wasn't much, but at the moment it was the only protection he could offer. Obi-Wan was still clinging to him, one handed now as his other was pressed to the side of his head near his temple. When the turbolift doors opened, Anakin guided Obi-Wan into the cubicle with one arm around his shoulders. Once they were inside, he slipped his other arm around Obi-Wan's waist, holding the other man to him.

Anakin didn't know where they were going, but anywhere had to be better than where they had come.

* * *

Obi-Wan was breathing in deep and even, trying to calm himself. Feeling Anakin's arms around him was definitely helping. It gave him a center, somewhere to focus. He could still feel the echoes of other voices in his mind, their intrusions into his thoughts and memories. They hadn't warned him about any of it. They'd questioned him about what had happened on Ranth'fer, Tatooine and Geonosis, distracting him so that others could try and sneak into his thoughts.

They hadn't cared about what it did to them or what he wanted. He'd pleaded with them to stay out of his mind, swore that he would answer all of their questions truthfully, if they would just stay out of his head.

_"Sorry, we are, but necessary it is that we determine what keeps your memories locked away," Master Yoda apologized when Obi-Wan protested._

_"I was hit on the head," Obi-Wan reminded them. "When I woke up I had a headache and there was some type of injury here." He pointed to his temple where there was a slight scar even after he'd spent time in the bacta tank."A blaster bolt or some type of blow. My memory will come back in time. Delving inside my mind will not bring it back any sooner."_

_"That is not what the healers tell us," the Jedi Master sitting next to Master Yoda contradicted. "Physically there is no reason for your continued memory loss."_

_"Then there is a reason for it," Obi-wan protested, his eyes drifting towards the door._

_"Changed the relationship has between you and your padawan," Master Yoda intoned._

_Obi-Wan met Master Yoda's gaze unflinchingly. "I love Anakin."_

_"Love is forbidden."_

Pulling back from the embrace, Obi-Wan scrubbed his hands over his face. He fidgeted about the small space, finally ending up leaning against the wall opposite Anakin. "Do the Jedi truly forbid love?"

Anakin bowed his head and that was the only answer Obi-Wan required.

"Yet you've told me that we're both Jedi," Obi-Wan continued, furrowing his brows. "Why would we be part of an Order that forbids love?"

* * *

There was no answer that Anakin could think of to give Obi-Wan. Not when Anakin himself didn't always understand it himself. He was a Jedi because it was what he'd always dreamed of being when he was a slave on Tatooine. Obi-Wan, however, had been trained in the Jedi arts since he was a toddler and knew no other life. Obi-Wan had always been accepting of his life as a Jedi.

"We're Jedi because we want to help people," Anakin finally answered as the turbolift came to a stop on the ground floor of the Temple. "It's a life of sacrifice. We give up certain things so that we can help others to the best of our abilities."

Obi-Wan frowned, following Anakin from the turbolift. "That sounds awfully rehearsed."

Anakin paused, waiting for Obi-Wan to stop next to him before turning to the older man. "They're your words. You made me memorize them years ago when I first hit puberty."

"Then I take them back. I don't want to believe that." Obi-Wan frowned, scratching idly at his temple. "It's inhuman to think that people can live without love. If that's the way the Jedi live I no longer wish to be a Jedi."

Even though Anakin had long toyed with the idea of leaving the Order, it had only ever been when he was frustrated. When he was calm, Anakin knew that being a Jedi was all he'd ever wanted. It was all he'd ever wanted.

"Let's just go back to our rooms," Anakin suggested as he drew Obi-Wan into his arms. "They'll be coming to collect us again soon enough."

Soon enough turned out to be barely an hour. Anakin had just barely got Obi-Wan calmed. The two of them were seated on the couch, Obi-Wan leaning back between Anakin's spread thighs, while Anakin tried his best to help Obi-Wan meditate. The older man's mind was a mass of chaotic emotions that Anakin did his best to calm.

The door opened barely a second after the chime sounded and through it came Masters Yoda and Mace Windu. As soon as he saw them, Obi-Wan tensed, gripping Anakin's thighs tightly. Anakin didn't feel any more relaxed and he hugged Obi-Wan to him as though he could somehow protect him from the Jedi Masters.

"Unexpected these events have been," Yoda mused as he made his way over to the couch. "Unfortunate that separated you must be."

Faster than Anakin could even process the words, Obi-Wan was on his feet and stalking towards the two Jedi Masters. "No. You don't get to decide things like that. You don't get to take Anakin away from me."

"The Council has made its decision," Master Windu continued as though Obi-Wan hadn't spoken. "Master Tiin will take over Anakin's instruction while you will be taken into seclusion until you've regained your control."

* * *

Behind him something crashed into the wall. Obi-Wan was fairly certain that he was the reason the object was launched across the room, but he didn't care. Not about his lack of control or about anything else except for the two beings in front of him who were threatening to take Anakin away from him.

"It is not for you to decide where Anakin and I go or whether we're together or not. You do not have that type of control over our lives," Obi-Wan insisted, meeting both their gazes unflinchingly. "Right now Anakin is the only one that I trust and I won't let you take him away from me."

"In case you've forgotten we are in the middle of a war," the taller of the two said. "We cannot afford to lose two Jedi when it is necessary that only one be sidelined."

"So you'll lock me away and wait for things to fix themselves?" Obi-Wan demanded, the Force around him swirling with anger.

Rising up from the couch, Anakin moved up beside Obi-Wan, placing a hand on the small of his back. Turning himself sideways, Anakin touched his lips to Obi-Wan's temple. Obi-Wan needed to be calm or else Yoda and Master Windu would just find another reason to have him locked away. And while the two master Jedi might think nothing of it, Anakin doubted very much that this version of his master would be able to withstand such rigorous schedules of meditation. Obi-Wan craved contact now far too much to spend hours alone in a windowless room with only his thoughts for company.

Cupping Obi-Wan's cheek, Anakin turned his head towards him, meeting his eyes. A silent conversation passed between them in the space of a blink and Obi-Wan moved to stand in front of the older man.

"Master Yoda, while I respect Master Tiin's abilities, I would much prefer to keep my own master," Anakin stated calmly. "As you can see, separating us will only be detrimental to my master's recovery. We were able to escape from Count Dooku's factory with no assistance from any other Jedi. Our ability to work as a team has not been hindered in any way. We trust one another completely and is that not the basis for a true team?"

An odd smile curved Master Yoda's lips. "A diplomat you have become, young Skywalker, in past weeks," the diminutive Jedi Master announced. "Your master that role should take."

"You are far too affectionate," Master Windu added. "A Jedi should have no attachments for it leads to the Dark Side of the Force. You know this Skywalker. Times are dark enough without us risking the Chosen One to the Dark Side. So you're to be separated until Kenobi learns to control himself and the Force around him."

"I refuse."

Everyone stared at Obi-Wan, shocked by his outburst.

"Refuse, you cannot," Master Yoda said, the first to regain himself. "Our mandate this is."

"Well I do refuse," Obi-Wan growled, the air around him vibrating his anger. "I will not be parted from Anakin. Banish me from your order if you will, but I won't be separated from the one thing I remember."

"Unfortunate, this is," Master Yoda sighed, shaking his head. "Most unfortunate. Discuss this the Council will and return out final answer we shall."

* * *

Obi-Wan found himself unable to remain still. Even sitting still he could not refrain from fidgeting about, his muscles twitching. He and Anakin had been left alone in their quarters once the two Jedi Masters had left, and Obi-Wan had been using that time to try and refamiliarize himself with his home. Anakin left him to it, but stayed near enough so that he could answer any of Obi-Wan's questions.

The balcony intrigued him the most. The view was nothing overly impressive as there were very few impressive views to be found in a city, but it was the roiling sensations that Obi-Wan received when he stepped onto it. He would have thought that Anakin was standing on it as well for all he could feel him.

"It looks out towards Tatooine. Where I grew up," Anakin explained when he did join Obi-Wan on the balcony. "At night I could always make myself believe that if I looked hard enough I could see it reflected in the stars."

"I want to go back to the stars," Obi-Wan announced, turning back to look at Anakin. "If we wait, they'll separate us. You'll be taken from me or I from you. I couldn't stand that."

Anakin was staring at him with wide blue eyes. "You want to leave Coruscant?"

"I do. There has to be somewhere we can go."

Closing the distance between them, Anakin cupped Obi-Wan's face between his palms. "I'm nearly certain that I'll regret this later... but I think we should stay. I don't want to take the coward's way out. There would be no victory in that and I want to prove to the Council that we're stronger together than apart."

"I won't lose you," Obi-Wan insisted, touching his forehead to Anakin's.

Dipping his head down further, Anakin touched to his lips to Obi-Wan's in a fleeting kiss. "You won't lose me. I promise. No matter what the Council's edict you won't lose me."


	18. Part XVIII

Anakin had been somewhat reluctant to bring Obi-Wan with him. The older man was still very much on edge after their confrontation with Masters Yoda and Windu. Even with his assurances that they wouldn't be separated by the Council, Obi-Wan remained nervous. Anakin himself wasn't faring much better, he thought that seeing Palpatine would be a good distraction. After that they could go and see Dex and get something to eat that didn't come from the Temple commissary. While Obi-Wan had still been in the bacta tank, Anakin had learned that Palpatine had somehow found himself in possession of Obi-Wan's stolen lightsaber. Obi-Wan may not remember how to use one then, but the lightsaber was still his and belonged with its rightful owner.

"How very well do I know this Palpatine?" Obi-Wan asked as they boarded Anakin's speeder.

"Not very well," Anakin admitted, waiting for Obi-Wan to belt himself in before starting the engine. "He's really more my friend. I've known him nearly as long as I've known you and I trust his counsel. He may know of a way for us to remain together even if the Council decides against it."

Obi-Wan still did not look entirely convinced, but neither did he protest. Anakin had earlier suggested, albeit without much conviction, that Obi-Wan remain behind while he visited the Chancellor, but Obi-Wan would have nothing of it. He would not be left behind, not that Anakin had been entirely willing to be separated from him.

Neither of them spoke much on the trip across the city to the Senate building where Palpatine's office was. When he glanced over at him, Obi-Wan was staring out at the cityscape. For Anakin it was strange to see him without a beard. Obi-Wan had started growing one almost as soon as he'd become a Jedi Knight after being teased by a few of the older Jedi that he still looked far too young to have a padawan of his own. With his hair cropped short, Obi-Wan looked as young as he had when they had first met. And far more innocent. All of his cares were wiped away by his lost memory.

"Watch where you're going, Anakin," Obi-Wan mused, a smile curving his lips. He turned his head towards Anakin, his smile growing. "I'd rather not end up as decoration on the side of a building."

Swinging his head back around, Anakin focused on the traffic zooming around them. "Sorry about that."

Out of the corner of his eye, Anakin could see the grin tugging at the corner of Obi-Wan's lips. It was a far cry from the lecture he would have received a few weeks before.

* * *

Obi-Wan walked half a step behind Anakin, still unsure about the planned meeting with the Chancellor. Obi-Wan had no memory of the man, but he felt uneasy about the simple fact that he was a politician. The Chancellor was Anakin's friend, though, so Obi-Wan would not judge him too quickly. He would have stayed behind in their rooms had the thought of being parted from Anakin not create a knot of fear in the pit of his stomach. Obi-Wan didn't know enough about the Jedi to trust their goodwill.

"Ahh, my boy, how glad I am to see you safely returned to Coruscant," Chancellor Palpatine enthused as the two of them entered the richly appointed office. "You gave me quite a scare when you went rushing off like that."

"I had to go find Obi-Wan," Anakin answered automatically, his hand drifting back to brush against Obi-Wan's. The contact was fleeting but it was enough to comfort Obi-Wan.

"Nor should you have been expected to," Palpatine assured the young man, rising from his desk and crossing over to them. "The Council should not have separated you from Master Kenobi in the first place. It was their folly that you risked your life to correct."

Everything around Anakin sizzled with a tension that hadn't been there before. Closing the distance between them, Obi-Wan placed a hand on the small of Anakin's back. He wished that Anakin wore fewer tunics so that Anakin would be better able to feel his touch. He wanted to comfort him, to ease the tension that stiffened his posture.

"Anakin tells me that you have something of mine," Obi-Wan spoke up in an attempt to change the subject.''

The Chancellor's sickly smile did nothing to comfort Obi-Wan. "Your lightsaber, yes. It was sent to me by the same traders who abducted you. I am greatly relieved to see that their claims to have killed you were false, Master Kenobi. It would be a great loss to the Republic to lose a Jedi of your abilities. Especially now that war has broken out between the Republic and the Separatists."

"Please, no politics," Anakin pleaded, leaning into Obi-Wan's touch. "I fear that I don't have the patience for it today."

"When have you ever had a head for politics," Palpatine chuckled, stepping past them to collect a box from a nearby table. "A trait you share with your master if I recall correctly. Your lightsaber, Master Kenobi."

Opening the lid of the ornately carved box, Obi-Wan was somewhat surprised to see the durasteel hilt lying innocently on a plush crimson pillow.

"I had meant to make a gift of it to Anakin if his mission proved a failure," Palpatine explained as Obi-Wan reached inside to pick up the hilt. "Thankfully that was not necessary."

* * *

For close to an hour, Palpatine did everything he could to incite Anakin's anger against the Jedi Council. Anakin refused to be baited, though, even with the threat of separation from his beloved master should the Council will it. Not that Palpatine actually believed that the Council would risk alienating their Chosen One. Even they were not fool enough to ignore the boy's power nor his devotion to Kenobi.

If anything, it was Kenobi who was more prone to anger during their conversations, lashing out verbally at the mere mention of Masters Yoda and Windu. The restraint that Kenobi was renowned for seemed to have transferred to Anakin in the past few weeks. Kenobi was as brash as Palpatine remembered him being ten years ago on Naboo. If the rumours were true, the revered Jedi knight had lost his memory on the folly of a mission to the Ranth'fer system which would explain his actions. All of the restraint that he had enforced upon himself as Anakin's Master had been wiped away by whatever had left that scar on his temple.

"It is unfortunate that you will soon be called into duty, my boy," Palpatine murmured as he finished the glass of claret the protocol droid had given him. "A talented Jedi such as yourself will not be able to avoid the war for long. It is a shame, however, that your master will remain side-lined. For all their assurances, it seems likely that the Council means to separate you."

"You are baiting me, Chancellor. Why?" Anakin demanded, his body tensing considerably.

Palpatine offered him what was meant to be a comforting smile. "I only mean to prepare you, Anakin. That is all I have ever hoped to do. You are very dear to me and I would hate for anything tragic to befall you."

* * *

Lunch with Dex was far more enjoyable than their meeting with Palpatine. Even though he couldn't remember the giant cook, Obi-Wan had enjoyed himself immensely from what Anakin could tell. He was smiling and laughing, his wide grin truly infectious. He had eaten ravenously as well, his stomach finally able to handle the heartier foods served at the cantina. The day before Obi-Wan had only idly picked at his meal and neither of them had cared much to eat before their meeting with the Council.

Stuffed full of what Dex assured them was Obi-Wan's favourite meal, an entirely unhealthy fare that tasted positively sinful, by the time they returned to their quarters the older man was blinking like a youngling who refused to admit to his own exhaustion. Obi-Wan, however, was more than willing to admit that he was tired, mumbling around a yawn that he meant to lie down for a brief while.

"Join me?" Anakin must have made a face because Obi-Wan's cheeks flushednoticeablyy. "I sleep better when you're there."

Smiling a bit, Anakin crossed the brief distance between them, his hand coming up to rest on the side of Obi-Wan's throat. "If it's sleep you desire then we'll do nothing but sleep."

"Sleep," Obi-Wan murmured, his head bobbing slightly.

Though his thoughts were not entirely innocent, Anakin stripped down to his undergarments. He was just climbing into bed when the door slid open, announcing Obi-Wan's return from the 'fresher. Obi-Wan was gloriously naked, the late afternoon light reflecting off his pale skin. Feeling slightly overdressed, Anakin nonetheless remained where he was, enjoying the unselfconscious way Obi-Wan crossed the room, idly scratching at his left hip.

"Where did this come from?" Obi-Wan asked, briefly touching a faded scar near his navel.

"That, so I am told, is a result of your misspent youth," Anakin grinned, shifting over so that there was room on the narrow mattress for his master. "If I remember correctly, you got an inflection wrong while speaking to a rather hot-tempered nobleman in a less than reputable cantina here on Coruscant who tried to gut you. Being more than a little intoxicated, he got a quick jab in before you were forcibly separated. Master Qui-Gon insisted that the wound heal naturally in order to ensure you learned a lesson once you were sober."

"Ah," was Obi-Wan's response as he climbed in beside Anakin.

"Ah, indeed."

* * *

Obi-Wan awoke with a start, unable to recall the dream that had woken him even as the fear it caused left him panting and trembling. He immediately turned to Anakin who was already moving to draw him into his arms.

"It's over now. You're safe," Anakin murmured against his shoulder, along with various other nonsense words meant to soothe him. Most soothing, however, was Anakin's fingers massaging the back of his scalp.

Not entirely sure how it happened, Obi-Wan found himself lying beneath Anakin, his legs drawn up on either side of the younger man's hips. He would his arms around Anakin's shoulders, holding tight to him when he tried to pull away. The feel of Anakin's bare chest against his own was a comfort that he was not willing to do without. After a time, though, he allowed Anakin to draw back enough to raise himself up on his elbows. He shifted slightly, bringing his hands to rest on either side of Obi-Wan's head, fingers twisting about the longer strands of hair.

"Obi-Wan...?"

"I don't want to sleep right now," Obi-Wan whispered, tilting his head so that his nose rubbed against Anakin's.

Anakin still seemed a bit unsure, his eyebrows furrowed, so Obi-Wan took the advantage. Raising his shoulders up, Obi-Wan caught Anakin's lips with his own. Anakin was still for a moment, but soon began to respond to the kiss. At once Obi-wan could feel the tension leaving him and when he sunk back against the pillows, Anakin followed.

The air around them seemed to glow, the gentle hum of their bond becoming a pulse that was echoed elsewhere in his body. It was swirling around the both of them, this Force that they both supposedly served. It was singing in his ears and Obi-Wan felt almost giddy with the feel of it. And of Anakin's hands roaming his body. At some point he could not recall, the two of them had risen, Obi-Wan seated and Anakin straddling his waist. Any closer and they would have been of the same flesh.

Lifting his hands, Obi-Wan framed Anakin's face, his palms tingling where they touched Anakin's skin. "I may not remember who I was before, but I do know that I loved you then. I could not feel everything I do if that wasn't true. And if I never remember that person again it will still be true."

Tears glittered in Anakin's eyes, a few spilling over his lashes. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to that. You've always been far better with words than me. I love you, though. I love you."

Obi-Wan smiled broadly, surging upwards so that he could once again catch Anakin's lips with his own.

* * *

**A/N: Due to its rating, the remainder of this chapter can't be found here. It can, however,be found on my website, the link to which you'll find in my profile. Click on the picture of the two sexy Jedi and you'll find your way.**


	19. Part XIX

Anakin was the first to awaken. He laid next to Obi-Wan, quiet as he could manage, simply watching him sleep. Obi-Wan looked so at peace in slumber, the worried lines gone from his features, his mouth hanging partially open. Everything about him was open. Obi-Wan kept no secrets from him—if he even had any –and Anakin feared what would happen when Obi-Wan's memory returned. Guilty as he felt about even thinking such thoughts, Anakin hoped that Obi-Wan never regained his memory. For the first time Anakin was able to see Obi-Wan as he really was, unconfined by the rules and mandates of the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan allowed himself to feel and didn't try to hide it. Anakin was terrified of Obi-Wan denying everything that had happened in the past few weeks once his memory returned. He didn't think he'd be able to return to their old relationship, knowing what he did now. Knowing that Obi-Wan loved him just as passionately as Anakin loved him.

Obi-Wan snuffled quietly in his sleep, his nose crinkling up, before slipping deeper into unconsciousness. The sun was just barely up and Anakin had no intentions of waking Obi-Wan. He wanted to let him sleep as long as possible. Perhaps Obi-Wan would dream of his past, the good parts and not what made him wake screaming in terror.

Very carefully, Anakin reached out to lightly stroke his fingertips along Obi-Wan's cheek. The beginnings of a new beard bristled against Anakin's fingertips, the early sunlight reflecting their russet colour. Obi-Wan leaned instinctively into the touch, a slight smile curving his lips for a brief moment before he was still again.

"I know that it's selfish, but I want you to stay this way," Anakin whispered as he stared across the pillow at Obi-Wan's sleeping face. "I don't want this to end. And it will. Once you get your memory back it won't be the same anymore. You may still love me, but you won't show me. It won't be like this ever again and I don't think I could take that."

Feeling the painful stab of tears against the back of his eyes, Anakin squeezed his eyelids shut and turned his face into the pillow. He didn't want Obi-Wan to worry. The older man had enough going on without worrying about his wayward emotions.

"For the first few months that braid of yours consisted of my newly cut one attached to that small stump of hair we managed to collect behind your ear," Obi-Wan murmured in the ensuing silence. "Your hair was too short to make a braid so we made a small tail behind your ear and used a band to hold the end portion of mine I place so that it hung down past your chin. The colours didn't match, but you didn't seem to care much."

Anakin could only stare at Obi-Wan in wonderment. His hand stilled against Obi-Wan's chin, his eyes fixed on his lover's sleepy grin.

"Whatever happened to that bit of braid?" Obi-Wan yawned, blinking his eyes open a crack.

Inhaling deeply, Anakin pursed his lips. "I lost it. I'd kept reattaching it to the end of my padawan braid even after my hair was long enough, I don't know why. Then, when we were on a mission—I think I was thirteen at the time –I lost it. I can't even remember the name of the planet we were on anymore. It wasn't until we were back on Coruscant that I realized it was gone."

Obi-Wan's smile didn't waver. He brought a hand up to rest against the side of Anakin's throat, thumb massaging the underside of his jaw. "It's not a big deal. It would probably look very scraggly by now anyway."

For several long minutes the two were silent, their foreheads touching and fingers stroking available bits of skin. It was very relaxing, both of them drifting in and out of sleep as there was no real reason for them to get up. Obi-Wan could hardly be expected to go about his usual duties and Anakin couldn't even remember what day it was let alone what lessons he was meant to be attending. So he decided to enjoy the decadence of it after so much chaos.

* * *

"Decide, we must, what to do about Obi-Wan and Anakin," Yoda said, glancing about the Council room at the assembled Jedi Masters. "Remain together, should they, or be separated? A choice now, we must make."

"We cannot trust Skywalker's temper," Mace Windu was quick to object. "Without Obi-Wan to control him, there could be disastrous results."

"I'm afraid I disagree," Adi Gallia spoke up immediately. "If anything their roles have become reversed in the wake of Obi-Wan's injury on Geonosis. At present it is Obi-Wan who is out of control and young Skywalker who is the more reserved one of their partnership. It is my opinion that these events are beneficial for Anakin's training."

"You don't think he'll take advantage of the situation?" Ki-Adi-Mundi questioned, resting his left ankle on his right knee as he spoke.

Adi Gallia shook her head. "No, I do not. His main concern seems to be for Obi-Wan's well being."

"And that is not evidence enough that the situation is out of control?" Mace pressed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Anakin is far too passionate. He is unable to release his emotions. They consume him and it is starting to effect Obi-Wan."

* * *

If he never had to leave the bed, Obi-Wan would have been absolutely content. Anakin was lying sprawled half on top of him, their limbs tangled together under the heavy down comforter. Not quite tired enough to sleep, Obi-Wan had been idly tracing patterns on Anakin's back from between his shoulder blades to the upper swell of his bottom. They were both utterly relaxed, a far cry from the previous morning.

"Do you think the Council will make a decision today?" Obi-Wan yawned, nuzzling his cheek against Anakin's rumpled hair.

Anakin snorted, squeezing Obi-Wan's sides briefly. "Chances are Master Windu's trying to convince everyone that we need to be separated. He's never trusted me."

"Why?"

"He doesn't like the fact that I'm this supposed Chosen One," Anakin sighed. The blonde wiggled as Obi-Wan allowed his fingers to dip into the crack of his ass. "I'm convinced that he's just waiting for me to fail. He's just waiting for the chance to prove that this whole prophecy is completely bogus."

"Rather pessimistic of him," Obi-Wan mused, frowning slightly.

Anakin gave a non-committal grunt and snuggled more securely into Obi-Wan's embrace. So Obi-Wan held him tighter and allowed his fingers to smooth over Anakin's back, following the paths of indentations made by muscle, bone, and flesh. He wanted to learn every inch of Anakin's body so that if anything ever separated them again he would easily be able to draw forth memories of the younger man.

Once again, Obi-Wan's questing fingers strayed once again to the divide between Anakin's buttocks. Anakin stiffened momentarily at first, but it lasted only for a second before he relaxed against Obi-Wan, even going so far as to spread his legs slightly. Once Anakin had settled, Obi-Wan allowed his fingers to dip down further. There was nothing rushed about his movements, nor about Anakin's as the younger shifted a second time so that he was straddling Obi-Wan's hips. Raising himself up on his elbows, Anakin peered down at Obi-Wan's face.

Anakin's smile brought everything into focus.

* * *

"So you are still set on isolating Obi-Wan?" Adi Gallia asked Mace.

"It would be for the best. If we remove any outside stimuli we should be able to determine just what has caused his memory loss," Mace reasoned, his expression determined. "He has far too much access to the Force and no control over it. He is a danger to everyone until he can relearn to control himself. A trait that he will not learn in Skywalker's company."

"Yet control Obi-Wan has when near his apprentice."

"I agree with Mace," Shaak Ti spoke up, tilting her head towards the aforementioned Jedi Master. "We are taking far too many risks by leaving Obi-Wan and Anakin unsupervised. There was too much chaos in Obi-Wan's mind yesterday and just as much pouring off of Anakin when the door opened. They have given way to passion in place of serenity."

* * *

Obi-Wan arched his neck as Anakin lowered himself down onto his erection, giving the younger man clear access to his throat. Or, more in particular, his Adam's apple, which Anakin laved his tongue across, his lower teeth scraping over it as he continued to trail up so that he could catch Obi-Wan's lips with his. Anakin couldn't contain a moan as Obi-Wan's left hand sunk into his hair, his middle finger slipping between his scalp and the band that held his short queue in place. Obi-Wan's other hand was gripping tightly at his hip, keeping pace with Anakin's thrusts.

Then suddenly Obi-Wan surged upwards and Anakin had to wrap his arms around his lover's shoulders to keep from being dislodged. He held on even tighter as Obi-Wan continued to move, shifting onto his knees while still keeping his cock more than halfway in Anakin's hole. Anakin was just about to lower his legs to the bed to offer some support when all around him the air began to tingle, his body now cushioned by the Force. Raising his eyes immediately to Obi-Wan's, Anakin was surprised by the look of concentration on his face. Their eyes met for only a moment before Obi-Wan once again began to thrust into him.

_Obi-Wan..._

_I love you,_ came the echo in his mind that was followed by a warmth that infused all of his cells.

And repeated that same pledge,_I love you._

Releasing his own control on the Force, Anakin allowed his own energies to flow around them, swirling and mixing with Obi-Wan's. Encircling them both, supporting them as they continued to make love in the center of the room. Sinking his left hand into Obi-Wan's hair, Anakin guided their lips together, craving that contact.

Obi-Wan's knees and shins were all that touched the mattress, Anakin's body wound tightly around his as they thrust against one another. Anakin gasped against Obi-Wan's lips as something was nudged deep inside of him. Two thrusts later that same spot was struck again and Anakin arched his back, a keening sound escaping his lips.

Following him, Obi-Wan leaned forward and the pair ended up toppling back onto the mattress, Anakin lying on his back with Obi-Wan covering him. He kept one leg wrapped around Obi-Wan's hips, the other foot he pressed into the mattress so that he had better leverage to thrust against.

Above him, Obi-Wan's smile was the most peaceful sight Anakin could ever remember.

* * *

Leaning an elbow against the arm of her chair, Depa Billaba touched her fingertips to her chin. "Powerful as Obi-Wan is, our main concern should be Anakin. He is the one in the prophecies and for many years we have all feared to lose him to the Dark Side. Separating him and Obi-Wan could very well do that. They have a very deep bond and I fear what would happen if we were to severe it at this point."

"I cannot see either one of them submitting to such a decision," Saesee Tiin added. "Before this mission we might have been able to convince Obi-Wan that it was the right action, but now it will be next to impossible."

Mace's nostrils flared as he exhaled angrily. "So we are to cave to their emotions? Ignore centuries of teachings because we fear what Skywalker may become?"

In the silence that followed each of the twelve Jedi Masters felt the sudden shockwave through the Force.

"Decided, it already is," Yoda announced sagely.

* * *

In his office, Palpatine felt the shockwave as well. The datapad he had been reading tumbled from his fingers, clattering to the floor, as he realized the implications of what had just happened. All at once, the dark powers that had aided him faithfully for so many years became muted by a stronger force.

Throwing his head back, Palpatine let out an enraged howl.

* * *

Obi-Wan was trembling so much that he could no longer support himself on his forearms and collapsed against Anakin's chest. He lay panting against the lithe body beneath him, nuzzling against the damp collarbone that acted as his pillow. Against his throat he could hear the hammering of Anakin's heart, pounding in time with his own, as they both struggled to calm their bodies.

The air around him was still vibrating, almost pulsing.

"What did we just do?" Obi-Wan gasped out once he found the necessary breath to do so.

Anakin shrugged, his lips still against Obi-Wan's forehead. His panting breath against the sweat gathered there sent a tingle through Obi-Wan's body. Anakin's right leg, which had remained wound around Obi-Wan's hips, slid down so that his foot rested between Obi-Wan's splayed legs.

"Am I too heavy?"

A shake of the head and Anakin tightening his arms around his torso was his answer.

For a few minutes, Obi-Wan relaxed his body, simply enjoying the feel of Anakin's body pressed so closely to his own. He felt safe, content, loved, and so many other emotions that he couldn't place names to. It was a feeling that he didn't want to end.

Anakin's breath hitched suddenly and Obi-Wan immediately lifted his head. Tears were sliding in fat trails down the sides of Anakin's face, disappearing into his hair, and Obi-Wan feared that he'd hurt his lover. The look of utter peace on Anakin's features, though, calmed him. He hadn't hurt Anakin.

Anakin tilted his head so that he was able to meet Obi-Wan's concerned gaze. Still not uttering a word, he lifted his left hand to Obi-Wan's cheek, drawing him down for a kiss that was slow and tender, and soothed Obi-Wan's mind as well as his soul.

One that soothed Anakin's as well.


	20. Part XX

Anakin's entire body was humming. Vibrating. He could feel every nerve ending in his body pulsating even as the sweat cooled on his body. He arched slightly, hugging Obi-Wan more tightly to him. He couldn't figure out exactly what had happened while he and Obi-Wan had been making love, but something had changed. Anakin could feel it in the very air around them. He didn't want to question it, though, content for the moment to simply enjoy the fact that he was finally calm. Even deep down in the pit of his stomach where all of his fear and anger was usually coiling, keeping him on edge. It was quiet. Calm.

"What did we just do?" Obi-Wan gasped, his breath hot against Anakin's chest.

Not able to understand it in the least, Anakin could only shrug his shoulders. He touched his lips to Obi-Wan's forehead, his nose pushed into the damp copper hair. Anakin inhaled deeply, breathing in the musky scent that filled the room. Relaxing even further, his right leg slipped down, twisting around Obi-Wan's.

"Am I too heavy?"

Anakin only hugged him tighter, shaking his head. He couldn't figure out the words to explain what he was feeling. He was happy, content, safe, loved, and so very much more. It was almost overwhelming. Even when he'd been with his mother, Anakin had never felt so much so strongly. Or as close to another being as he did Obi-Wan. The emotions were swelling so much that Anakin felt tears prickling behind his eyelids, having no other outlet save in tears.

Obi-Wan lifted his head and Anakin tried to appear calm when he saw the concern flashing in Obi-Wan's eyes. He lifted his hand, cupping his lover's cheek, and drew him down for a kiss. Anakin didn't want Obi-Wan to worry. He had nothing to worry about. Anakin felt at peace and just by looking at Obi-Wan he could tell that the older man did as well.

"Something happened," Anakin whispered as Obi-Wan's head settled against his shoulder once again. "I can feel it."

Obi-Wan nodded his head, his nose nudging the underside of Anakin's jaw. "I can feel it, too. I don't know what it is, though. Should I?"

Anakin felt relieved that Obi-Wan was as unsure as he was. This was new, beyond anything he had ever experienced and it made him nervous. He was worried that it would give the Council a reason to separate them. If Master Windu had things his way they would never be allowed in the same planetary system again.

"I won't let that happen," Obi-Wan whispered, angling his head so that he could place a kiss over Anakin's heart. "They aren't going to take you away from me."

Obi-Wan's determination was palpable; Anakin could feel it. And even though Obi-Wan was the smaller of them, with his body covering him, Anakin felt truly protected. Like nothing could possibly hurt them, or separate them. It was as Obi-Wan had said yesterday, the Council ultimately had no control over their lives. For the past ten years, the Council had been telling him that he was the Chosen One, but Anakin was no closer to believing it at nineteen as he had been at nine. And even if they were forced to leave the Order, he would still be a Jedi. Following a stagnant code that was centuries old was hardly a definitive criteria. They should be able to exist more in tune with the rest of the galaxy. Be able to love and feel other emotions without risk of censure.

Eventually, drying bodily fluids and the general discomfort they caused forced them from their bed. Anakin felt a small thrill of pleasure at being able to call it "their" bed. Unfortunately, neither had the energy to enjoy more than a quick rinse in the 'fresher. Anakin had even managed to convince Obi-Wan to shave the reddish-gold stubble from his jaw. It seemed more than a little odd to Anakin that he was so exhausted. His sleep had been a good one and it was Obi-Wan who had expanded the most physical energy during their love making. It should not have affected him so much.

The door chime sounded just as they were exiting the bedroom, both dressed simply in loose tunics and trousers. Squeezing Obi-Wan's shoulder as he walked past him, Anakin crossed the room and opened the door to find Master Yoda floating at eye level on his hoverchair waiting in the corridor.

* * *

Even though Anakin had only gone to the door, Obi-Wan ached to have him back at his side. It made him nervous, not knowing what was going to happen once Anakin opened the door. His nerves were tingling again, energy fizzling around him. He was tense, afraid for him and Anakin despite his earlier attempts at confidence.

"Master Yoda," Anakin greeted, stepping aside so that the diminutive Jedi Master could enter their quarters. "We didn't expect you so early."

"Decreed your fate, the Force has," Yoda announced as he lowered his hoverchair to the ground so that he could climb off and pace about the common room under his own power. "A powerful bond you two share. One acknowledged by the Force. Meeting the Council was when made itself known this bond did. Felt it we all did. As did all other Force sensitive beings, I'm certain."

Obi-Wan edged forward so that he was within arm's reach of Anakin. He wanted to be close enough to touch his lover. He wanted to be close just in case. Yoda was alone, but others could have been following. They could have been coming to separate them and Obi-Wan would do everything he could to stop that from happening.

"Unclear for so many years this prophecy has been," Yoda continued once the two men were standing side by side. "Centered around one person we believed it was. Yet two it took to give it life."

Anakin inched still closer to him, their elbows brushing. "The one about—"

"Brought a balance to the Force you and Obi-Wan have."

Obi-Wan didn't know what they were talking about. He'd heard something about a prophecy the day before, but didn't know what it was about. It had simply been something that had come up when the Jedi Masters had been arguing. He hadn't even known that it had been about him and Anakin. Or that he and Anakin were even important enough to be the subject of prophecy. In the end, the only thing he really cared about was that he and Anakin could stay together. They were stronger when they were a team.

"What do you mean we brought a balance to the Force?" Anakin demanded, his voice raising slightly, sounding panicked. "We didn't do anything. We haven't even left our quarters."

Yoda chuckled quietly, leaning on his gimmer stick. "Done something, you most certainly have. Found a balance you did, between light and dark. Anger and love. Hope and fear. Linked you have become—a single entity in the Force. Much there still is to figure out, but together you will stay for the duration."

Prepared as he had been to defy Yoda and his Council, Obi-Wan was nonetheless relieved to hear that it wouldn't have to come to that. His confusion was still as real as it had been when Yoda had begun his little speech, but for the moment it really wasn't important. Anakin would explain it to him later. He couldn't stop the smile that formed when he realized that he no longer had to fear there not being a later.

* * *

Scowling, Palpatine stared at the empty box resting before him on the table. He had had such high hopes for Anakin. Ten years of planning every encounter between him and Anakin in order to properly nourish the boy's anger and it had been given an outlet he had not planned for. Obi-Wan Kenobi was supposed to have been another source out frustration for the young Jedi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was never supposed to act on the love he felt for his apprentice.

"You are far more trouble than you are worth," Palpatine murmured, leaning forward to slam closed the lid of the box. "That means you need to be eliminated. Permanently."

This time, rather than leaving Kenobi's fate to paid mercenaries, Palpatine intended to ensure personally that the Jedi's death was permanent. He would not abandon ten years of plotting because Kenobi had taken a bump to the head. He would destroy the frustrating Jedi knight and then Anakin would be his. Palpatine would have a new apprentice. After all, Dooku could no longer be trusted. The former Jedi had tried to kill Anakin despite his orders. No, he would have to remove Dooku before long. Perhaps he could even have Anakin do it for him.

Palpatine smirked. That would certainly be interesting. Moreso if he could arrange it for one of the lovers to kill the other. Then the balance they had created would be destroyed and his plans could continue as scheduled without any obstacles.

* * *

Practiced as he was in the Force, Yoda could easily see the way Obi-Wan and Anakin's Force signatures had become intertwined. It was a fascinating thing to witness. The two men had always been very distinctive with regards to their Force signatures, trading off areas of light and darkness. In less than twelve standard hours, however, those signatures had become merged, balancing out the light and the dark.

Even if he hadn't felt the shockwave of their joining, there could be no mistaking the retreat of the oppressive cloud of the Dark Side. The Sith were still a dangerous enemy, but no longer did they have an advantage of the Jedi. The two Orders had been placed on equal footing as a result the uncorrupted love Obi-Wan and Anakin felt for each other.

"I want to know what's going on," Obi-Wan demanded, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "What are you talking about? What prophecy?"

"That there is one who will bring a balance to the Force. Who is destined to bring its light and dark sides into alignment," Anakin recited from memory, his voice emotionless. "Master Qui-Gon thought it was me and managed to convince the Council that it might be true. He made you promise to train me when he died he believed it so strongly."

Yoda watched Obi-Wan's reaction, the anger lessening somewhat only to be replaced by confusion. He hugged himself even tighter, leaning closer to Anakin. Yoda could no longer doubt the bond that had formed between the two men. From the first time he had seen them together, standing in the center of the Council room with Qui-Gon, Yoda had sensed something unique about their bond. There had been an attachment that neither man had been aware of at the time, but that the Council had feared nonetheless. As a general rule, attachments were forbidden, and had the circumstances been any different, the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin would have been forbidden as well. Yoda still wasn't entirely certain that it was a good idea to allow them to remain to their own devices.

"Meditate on this, the Council will," Yoda announced as he headed towards his hoverchair. "Explore your bond, the both of you should."

* * *

Never in all his life had Anakin thought he'd be ordered by the Jedi Council to have sex with his master. Master Yoda hadn't said it outright, but there was no mistaking that the little green being knew full well what they had been doing before his arrival. Anakin was so shocked by Master Yoda's statement that he didn't move until after the door shut behind him. Even then it was Obi-Wan who moved first, heading towards the balcony.

"Obi-Wan…?" Anakin called as he followed after the older man. Stepping up behind him, he wound his arms around Obi-Wan's waist.

"I still feel like something is going to happen," Obi-Wan murmured, leaning back against Anakin's chest.

Anakin pressed a kiss to the side of his throat. "Nothing's going to happen. Strange as it may seem, we do occasionally enjoy moments of peace. This is one of them."

Obi-Wan sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I don't know, I just—"

The words died on his lips as an explosion rocked the balcony above them. There was a shower of debris and fire that knocked them both down. Anakin instinctively rolled on top of Obi-Wan, hoping to protect him from the worst of it. At the same time, Obi-Wan's arms wrapped around him, both hands protecting his head.

There was a loud crack that echoed above the sound of the trembling balcony overhead and Anakin held Obi-Wan even tighter. He tried to set up some sort of field around them, but the heavy object smacking down against his right shoulder told him that he'd failed.

* * *

Obi-Wan awoke with a groan. Every part of his body hurt. His left arm throbbed the worst. He tried to open his eyes, but it took too much effort. Even twitching a finger hurt. There was nothing on his chest, though. The weight that Obi-Wan had been expecting wasn't there. Anakin wasn't there. And suddenly Obi-Wan didn't care that his whole body ached.

"Anakin…." Obi-Wan groaned as he rolled himself onto his side. He screamed, his right shoulder protesting the movement, but rose up onto his hands and knees anyway. He had to find Anakin. Something was wrong, Obi-Wan could feel it in the very center of himself. Something had happened to Anakin. So Obi-Wan blinked his dusk and grit encrusted eyelids open, scanning the mess that had been their balcony.

"Are you all right, Master Kenobi?" a voice shouted from the personal cruiser that was hovering just beyond the edge of the balcony.

At the same time there was a pounding on the door, voices shouting from out in the corridor. "Master Kenobi? Are you in there? Master Kenobi? Padawan Skywalker?"

Obi-Wan ignored them both, climbing wearily to his feet while he knocked over nearby piles of debris, hoping to find Anakin in the mess.

Except he wasn't there.

"Anakin?"

"Master Kenobi? What happened?"

"Anakin!"

"We need to know what happened."

"ANAKIN!"

* * *

In the bowels of Coruscant, far below the Senate building, Palpatine watched his soon-to-be apprentice as he lay unconscious, strapped to durasteel table. 


	21. Part XXI

Shoving away the hands that were attempting to help him, Obi-Wan scrambled to the edge of the ruined balcony and vaulted into the pilot's seat of the hovering cruiser. It was dim, but he could still sense Anakin. His lover didn't seem to be in any pain, but neither did he appear to be conscious. So Obi-Wan focused on that, ignoring the frantic shouts coming from behind him. He kept his mind locked on whatever sensations he could feel coming from Anakin because it was the only chance he stood of finding him. Obi-Wan wasn't going to stop until he'd found Anakin and destroyed whoever had taken his lover from him.

Obi-Wan was unsure about the controls of the cruiser, but managed to propel it forward quick enough to stop anyone from following him. It was hardly a smooth ride, the ship jerking and swerving which nearly caused several accidents. There was no damage done to his ship and he made good time as he navigated his way through the endless lanes of traffic. Obi-Wan had no idea where he was going. None of the buildings looked familiar. He was simply following the frantic tug he felt on Anakin's end of their bond. It was his only guide.

_Obi-Wan…? Obi-Wan! Where are you?_

* * *

Anakin awoke with a start, barely managing to swallow a startled scream. The only thing he could tell at first was that he was lying on his back, arms and legs spread out stiffly, held down in utter darkness. He struggled against the binders holding him in place, but the strength of his durasteel arm wasn't enough. It only caused a grating of metal against metal.

_Obi-Wan…? Obi-Wan! Where are you?_

Anakin was suddenly fearful that Obi-Wan was in a worse situation than him. He couldn't sense the other man anywhere in the pitch black. Or anywhere else. Calming himself, Anakin took several deep breaths, attempting to slow his frantic heartbeat. He needed to concentrate if he was going to be able to locate Obi-Wan. If he could sense Obi-Wan then he could find out whether Obi-Wan was all right or not. He couldn't remember what had happened after the chunk from the balcony above had hit his shoulder. Obi-Wan had been under him, though, so he should have been safe. He only wanted Obi-Wan to be safe.

_Obi-Wan, please... Please. Please be all right. Answer me. Please._

…._ Anakin._

Obi-Wan's comforting presence washed over him, blanketing him in warmth. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut tight, willing away the tears he could feel burning behind his eyes. Obi-Wan was safe. That was all that mattered.

_I'm coming._

Anakin wanted to scream at him to stay away, but he was finding it hard to concentrate. His mind felt hazy and everything felt out of focus.

_Obi-Wan..._

* * *

Once again Anakin's presence faded and Obi-Wan feared the worst. It hadn't been a gradual fading, instead feeling as though a curtain had been dropped between them. Anakin felt muted, faded, as though Obi-Wan was seeing him through the surface of a murky pond. There was enough for him to grasp hold of, though, and Obi-Wan doggedly followed it through the bustling city.

To a wide, domed building.

The Senate building. He had been there the day before with Anakin to visit the Chancellor, a man that Obi-Wan instinctively didn't trust. There had been something off about the aging senator and given the current situation Obi-Wan knew that his fears had been justified. And while yesterday he had only been wary of the man, Obi-Wan now hated him. He would destroy Chancellor Palpatine for whatever he was currently doing to Anakin.

Cutting across several lanes, Obi-Wan docked the cruiser at the first available hanger. He didn't even both cutting the ignition before vaulting himself out of the seat. Even though his bond with Anakin was somewhat muted, he could still feel his lover's fear and pain tingling at the edges of his mind.

Obi-Wan's bare feet slapped against the permacrete flooring as he sprinted towards the nearest corridor, a vibrating force around him instructing him when to duck, twist or jump to avoid the blaster bolts being aimed in his direction. He didn't question it, there was no time. Instead Obi-Wan was merely grateful to whatever force was guiding his steps, bringing him closer to Anakin.

After rounding a few corners, Obi-Wan was brought to his knees by a sudden flash of pain that wasn't his own. He stumbled to his knees, barely able to support himself with trembling arms.

_Anakin! _Obi-Wan screamed across their bond in his panic, fearing what was happening to the younger man._Please hold on, Anakin. I'm coming. Just hold on._

He wanted to offer comfort, but doubted that the trite words his mind supplied would do much to sooth him. So instead he scrambled to his feet and continued sprinting down the corridor. The only weapon he had was the blaster he'd found in the cruiser. He had convinced the guards to let him out of his cell on Geonosis, though, and Obi-Wan was certain he could manage something along those lines. He would have to. He refused to leave without Anakin.

* * *

Yoda stood in the center of Obi-Wan and Anakin's apartment, watching over the clone troopers as they sorted through the mess. It had been foolish to believe that the balance that had been reached that morning would do anything to hinder their unseen foe. The Sith master had patiently waited for ten years and would not be stopped by losing his earlier advantage.

"Clues, you have found, as to the source of the attack?" Yoda asked as one of the command clones stalked towards him.

"None have been found, Master Yoda."

"Your search you will continue," the diminutive Jedi ordered, turning slowly towards the exit. "Find the Sith lord, we must."

Yoda had tried, several times, to sense Obi-Wan's location. All that he could sense, though, was chaos. The normally calm and serene Obi-Wan Kenobi was a mass of roiling emotions. Anger and fear were foremost in his mind, drowning out almost everything else. His love for Anakin was the beacon that pulsed in the middle of it all. It was that love which prevented Yoda from fearing another unbalancing in the Force.

"Find young Skywalker, Obi-Wan will," Yoda murmured to himself, nodding his head briefly. It was the outcome that he was uncertain of.

* * *

Anakin returned to consciousness much more gradually the second time. He took a quick survey of his surroundings only to find that nothing had changed. He was still strapped down to what he assumed was a table in a pitch black room. Gathering all of his energies, Anakin tried to find a weakness in his bonds, straining against them both physically and through the Force. On both counts the durasteel bands refused to budge and Anakin could feel blood dribbling from his abraded left wrist. He thumped his head against the solidness below him in frustration, muttering the vilest curses he could think of. He knew that it would do nothing to help free him, but it helped with his anger.

_Obi-Wan? _Anakin tried, searching through the chaos for a more rational part of his lover's mind. A part that wasn't acting purely on instinct. _Wherever you are, Obi-Wan, stay there. This is a trap. You need to stay away._

It was likely a futile attempt because Anakin received no response. He could feel the frantic pulse of Obi-Wan's fear and anger, as well as his desperation, but he didn't hear Obi-Wan's comforting voice echoing in his mind.

"It appears that I was rash in my judgment of Kenobi all those years ago," Palpatine mused from somewhere in the darkness, his voice echoing all around him. "I had thought that his destruction of Maul and the anger that consumed him at the time was just a reaction to his Master's death. Had I known that he possessed so much anger I would not have spent so much time cultivating yours."

"Leave him alone!" Anakin shouted, straining once again against his bonds.

"Such an unoriginal response," Palpatine drawled, clearly amused. "You will have to forgive me when I refuse to grant your wish. I should thank you, though. After all, you are partly responsible for helping Kenobi to reach his potential. He would not be so susceptible to the Dark Side had the two of you waited until he regained his memory to form your bond. I look forward to making him my apprentice."

Anakin's mind was reeling. Even though it had been some time since he'd truly trusted Palpatine, he never would have thought the aging Chancellor was a Sith lord. Palpatine had been his friend, one of the few he'd had after leaving Tatooine.

_Stay away! _Anakin screamed through their bond. _Please stay away!_

His pleas were cut short when Anakin suddenly found himself engulfed by painful Force lightning. He screamed, twisting his body about in a futile effort to evade the painful attack. Every nerve in his body pulsated with fire so that all Anakin wanted to do was pass out and not feel anything else. He had to stay conscious, though. Obi-Wan was coming, he could feel it, and he had to make sure that Obi-Wan didn't fall victim to whatever Palpatine had planned.

_Stay away, Obi-Wan. Please..._

* * *

Standing in the turbolift as it descended into the bowels of the Senate building, Obi-Wan could not keep his body from twitching. Even though every second brought him closer to Anakin, he couldn't handle standing still. He wanted to be doing something, anything to help Anakin. Obi-Wan hadn't been able to sense anything from him since that sharp burst of pain. He could still feel the tug along their bond that was leading him to his lover, but he couldn't feel anything from Anakin himself and that worried him.

In his frustration, Obi-Wan lashed out, punching the wall directly in front of him as hard as he could manage. It didn't make him feel better, but it distracted him for a brief moment. So Obi-Wan punched the wall again, this time adding a scream. He raged at his muddled reflection that stared back at him from the scuffed panel.

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed, Obi-Wan stabbed his fingers into his hair, squeezing his eyes shut as he crouched down in the center of the cubicle. He struggled to even out his breathing, knowing that he would be of no use to Anakin if he lost control. He had to stay calm even though all he wanted to do was destroy whoever had hurt Anakin.

Obi-Wan was jarred when the turbolift came to a sudden stop, nearly losing his balance. He was on his fee before the doors even opened, though, stalking out into the dark corridor. There was very little light in the corridor, a few dim overhead fixtures only. Anakin advanced down the hallway, the blaster held before him. Anakin was close. His presence was singing in Obi-Wan's veins.

Obi-Wan could barley resist the urge to call out to his lover. He was desperate to hear Anakin's voice, but knew that it would be a mistake. Whoever had taken Anakin would have him under guard and could possibly hurt him if Obi-Wan revealed himself too soon.

The door opening at the end of the corridor startled him. There was no excess light coming from that room and Obi-Wan couldn't see if there was anyone inside it. His bond with Anakin was practically humming, though.

"Obi-Wan, get out of here!"

In complete contradiction to the words, Obi-Wan sprinted the final length of the corridor. Barefoot, his approach was much more silent as he ran on the balls of his feet. He clutched the blaster tightly, his finger hovering near the trigger.

"There is no need to sneak so, Master Kenobi," a voice called from within the room. "Your padawan and I have been waiting for you."

Unlike Anakin's earlier shout, that gave Obi-Wan pause.

"Get out of here—ahhhhh!"

There was a sudden blue glow that filled the room just before Anakin started to scream. That had Obi-Wan charging down the final length of the corridor. When he burst into the room, he couldn't quite comprehend what it was he was seeing. Blue lightning was flashing from the hands of a hooded figure on the far side of the room and flowing directly into Anakin.

"Anakin, no!" Obi-Wan screamed, launching himself across the room and onto the table that Anakin was strapped to. He covered Anakin's body with his own, screaming as the lightning seeped into his own flesh. He screamed as the pain of it cut through his whole body. It lasted for only a moment, though, before the lightning faded and he was left panting over Anakin's prone form in near darkness. Lifting a trembling hand to Anakin's cheek, Obi-Wan touched his fingertips against Anakin's skin. "Anakin, are you okay? Please be okay."

"Obi-Wan…."

The dim light was replaced by a brilliant brightness when the lights came on. Tensing, Obi-Wan raised himself up so that he could better see the hooded figure on the far side of the room. There was an ominous air surrounding the man, that side of the room darker than the rest.

"You are nothing if not loyal, Master Kenobi," the hooded man murmured as he slowly stepped towards them. "It is a commendable trait, one expected in a Jedi."

"Let him go," Obi-Wan growled, sliding off the table and holding the blaster towards their enemy.

He laughed darkly, his lips turned into a scowl below the edge of the hood. "Come now, Master Kenobi. You don't actually believe that it will be that easy, do you?"

Obi-Wan fired the blaster, the bolt singeing the right shoulder of his cloak.

"Yes, actually, I do."


	22. Part XXII

The dark energy surrounding the enraged Jedi made Sidious' skin tingle. He hadn't thought that Kenobi had the potential for such anger. It was absolutely intoxicating, like a finely aged liquor. It was that furious energy which was his best chance of once again skewing the balance between the opposing sides of the Force. Kenobi lacked all of his former restraint which made him dangerous, not only to the Jedi, but to Sidious himself as well.

"You are certainly quite amusing without your memory, Master Kenobi," Sidious mused, yanking the blaster from Obi-Wan's hand with a mere flick of his fingers. "However I do not think that it has wholly affected your intelligence."

Obi-Wan merely glared at him, energy swirling around him. He squared his shoulders, not the least distracted by the fact that he was weaponless. There was a raw, savage edge to the emotions that vibrated in the air around him.

* * *

His vision was fading in and out of focus. The bright overhead lighting was painful after already adjusting to the darkness and weakness brought on by Force lightning didn't help either. Despite it, Anakin tried his best to focus on what was going on around him. On what Obi-Wan was saying to Palpatine—No, to the Sith Lord. He was a Sith. Palpatine didn't exist.

With a great deal of effort, Anakin was able to turn his head. He blinked a few times, keeping his eyes trained on Obi-Wan's broad back. Anakin's fingers itched to touch the dip between his shoulder blades. He would have settled with being able to tug at the hem of his tunic, anything to gain Obi-Wan's attention because pleading with him through their bond wasn't working.

"Pledge yourself to me, become my apprentice, and I will spare the boy."

At that, Anakin's screams became vocal. "No! Obi-Wan, don't do it! Don't!"

"You'll let Anakin go?" Obi-Wan pressed, his shoulders slumping a fraction. "He'll be safe?"

"Become my new apprentice and your love will be safe," Palpatine drawled, his voice feeling like sludge against Anakin's skin.

Obi-Wan chuckled darkly, his posture tense despite his apparent mirth. "You don't think that I trust you, do you? Who is to say that you won't kill him once you have my sworn word? I will not safeguard Anakin's life to your whims."

"So be it. Guards!"

Palpatine's shout had Obi-Wan back up, close enough for Anakin to grasp the hem of his loose tunic. Feeling the tug, Obi-Wan reached a hand back, his fingers wrapping around Anakin's wrist.

"Release young Skywalker and return him to the Jedi Temple," Palpatine ordered, alerting Anakin to the fact that the red-cloaked Royal Guards had arrived.

Anakin only gave into his fear when Obi-Wan moved beyond his reach, leaving him without a focus in the swirling darkness. He shouted out wordlessly to Obi-Wan through their bond, attempting one last valiant fight against his bonds before the contents of a hypospray forced him once again into unconsciousness.

* * *

Obi-Wan's instincts screamed against him abandoning Anakin in such a way, but it was the only way to ensure his safety. Beyond all of the anger swirling around inside his mind, that was the only coherent thought he was able to latch onto. Anakin needed to be kept safe. It wasn't a lover's response to his partner's peril, but an ingrained truth that he could not ignore. Long ago, Obi-Wan had sworn that he would protect Anakin and train him in the ways of the Force. He could only vaguely make out the image of the man he had given his word to, but he would hold to that vow even if he couldn't recall the circumstances under which he'd made it.

"I should have realized your potential long ago, Master Kenobi, when you killed my apprentice Darth Maul," the hooded man mused, circling around Obi-Wan. "There was so much anger in you when you avenged your poor Master's untimely death, so much hatred. The Force, however, recognized my failure and has set things right."

"I have not yet agreed to be your apprentice," Obi-Wan reminded him, his eyes drifting to the door Anakin had been taken through. "I will not agree to anything until I know for certain that Anakin is safe."

"You are nothing if not loyal," he commented, his voice lacking any distinctive tone that could help Obi-Wan judge his state of mind. "But are you certain that you're loyal to the proper things. Young Skywalker, for instance. Is he truly deserving of such selfless loyalty?"

"I love Anakin," Obi-Wan insisted, tensing. He drew his arms to his chest, crossing them in a defensive posture.

"I do not doubt that. After all, who could fail to love the one who freed them from such torment?"

The way he spoke, the words that he used, sparked a flicker of recognition in Obi-Wan's mind. Little as he had trusted Palpatine before, Obi-Wan trusted him even less now. Backing away, Obi-Wan glanced around wildly, hoping to catch sight of his blaster.

"You do not need to fear me, Master Kenobi," Palpatine said quietly as he advanced towards him. "I am offering you unlimited power and freedom. You will not longer be bound by the rules of the Jedi Council. You will have the power to oppose them if they try to separate you from your beloved apprentice."

"Like you?" Obi-Wan spat, his eyes still frantically searching out his blaster in the dimly-lit room. "How can I trust you when I just saw you try to kill Anakin?"

"Really now, my dear boy, I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this," Palpatine sighed.

* * *

It was a padawan that found Anakin. Zett Jukassa had wandered out onto the grand staircase that led up to the Temple's main entrance when he heard the sound of a blaster being fired. Glancing down noticed a crumpled body lying halfway up, a scorch mark on step next to him. Clutching his newly made lightsaber in his hand, Zett rushed down the stairs, reaching out with the Force for any signs of danger. As he neared the sprawled figure, he was able to see the braid of a fellow padawan and hurried even faster.

Zett was shocked when he saw which padawan it was lying in a boneless heap.

* * *

Dooku had known for some time that he was to be replaced. It was a bitter truth, but he knew now that Sidious had only meant him to be a placeholder for his true apprentice. A younger apprentice with extensive capabilities and not burdened by platitudes of the Jedi Code. Dooku had not thought, however, that Sidious would take a new apprentice so soon after a temporary balance in the Force had been reached. Or that his apprentice would be one of the beings responsible for that balance. It was quite a fall for a Jedi. Especially one like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

He could still remember dinners with his former apprentice when Qui-Gon had first taken on the tutelage of a then eight year old Obi-Wan Kenobi. Even at that young age the boy had been as serious and controlled as a man four times his age. It was shocking to Dooku that such a studious little boy should grow to possess the nature of a Sith apprentice. Young Skywalker would have been a far more likely candidate in his opinion.

It was not the first time he had been mistaken, though. So rather than wait for his own downfall, Dooku had decided to go into hiding until the matter had sorted itself out. He had estates enough in several systems, many of which could not be traced back to him. It would easy for him to remain out of the way while the Jedi and the Sith fought their final battle.

* * *

Anakin awoke with a jolt, awareness suddenly filling him. He bolted upright, gasping for breath as he scanned the room for any sign of Obi-Wan. Anakin began to panic when he didn't see him, his vision blurring as he scanned the other figures in the room.

"Where's Obi-Wan?" Anakin groaned, bringing a hand up to his forehead.

"Know where Obi-Wan is, we hoped you did," Yoda murmured from near the end of the bed.

Anakin moved quickly then, attempting to scramble out of the bed even as his vision wavered dangerously. If Yoda and the other Masters didn't know where Obi-Wan was it meant that he was still in Palpatine's grasp. Palpatine had possibly already even convinced him to turn to the Dark Side of the Force. And even though the Council frustrated him like nothing else, their ways were far better than that of the Sith.

"Obi-Wan is with the Sith Lord," Anakin said as he climbed more carefully out of the bed. "He wants Obi-Wan for his apprentice."

"You're certain that it's the Sith Lord?" Master Koth demanded, his voice relaying the shock that was felt by all the Masters.

"I wouldn't accuse Palpatine of this lightly," Anakin ground out. He gripped tightly to the edge of the mattress, waiting for his vision to steady itself before turning to face the highest ranking Jedi who stood in a semi-circle around his bed in the medical wing of the Temple.

"We should have had Obi-Wan secluded," Master Windu scoffed, slipping his hands into the wide cuffs of his robe. "By giving in to you we may very well have distorted the balance of the Force to proportions beyond prepare."

Anakin glared at the dark-skinned Master. "We are not to blame for this. It was the Council that gave into the Senate and sent Obi-Wan to Ranth'fer alone. If I'd been with Obi-Wan this wouldn't have happened."

"The right decision we thought we'd made," Yoda apologized, lowering his head briefly. "Friends, Obi-Wan was meant to have in the system. Yet betrayed he was. If true your accusation is, then arranged by Palpatine it was from the start."

Anakin scowled, scrubbing briefly at his forehead before turning towards the door. As much as he would have liked to go chasing after Obi-Wan himself, he knew that he would need the help of the Council if he was to find Obi-Wan. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was still alive, he could sense him in the most basic sense, but when he tried to reach out through their bond he was slammed up against the same barrier that had been present when Obi-Wan was on Geonosis.

"Slipped the balance has once again," Yoda murmured into the silence that followed. "Too temporary was it, not yet fully formed. Fear do I we will lose Obi-Wan to the darkness. Yet hope there is that remains for not complete is his fall. Hope, Obi-Wan clings to. Hope that his actions save young Skywalker will. Even should he himself be lost."

* * *

The comforting hum that Obi-Wan had always known felt sick, twisted. The anger that he had felt early had faded somewhat with the knowledge that Anakin was safe, even if Obi-Wan himself no longer was. After all, he had aligned himself to a madman. He could still sense Anakin, though, and that was a small comfort, the only one he had at the moment.

At Palpatine's insistence, he had been given fresh clothes to wear. The beiges and browns he had become used to were replaced by inky black. Boots, trousers, obi, and belt were leather while his tunic was a finely woven linen. Obi-Wan had been given no privacy while he changed, neither Palpatine nor his guards trusting him to be alone with his vow only newly given and as yet untested.

_Flanked on either side by red-cloaked guards, Obi-Wan was led into Palpatine's office and forcibly sat on one of the couches in the sitting room. Palpatine himself continued on to his desk, punching in a few buttons on a hidden console near the left corner. A holopainting on the wall opposite the desk faded momentarily to black before it was replaced by a new image._

_Anakin. Slumped against the steps leading into the Jedi Temple._

_Obi-Wan was on his feet in the next instant, staring wide-eyed at the real time feed. He tried to take a step towards it, but was immediately pulled back down by the cowled guards. Obi-Wan struggled against their hold, launching a few smaller objects across the room in his panic. Even when he realized what he was doing, Obi-Wan made no attempt to reign in his actions._

"_As you can see, Master Kenobi, I have kept my end of our bargain. The boy has been returned to those who will look after him," Palpatine said, drawing Obi-Wan's attention from the image before him._

_There was the sound of a blaster and Obi-Wan watched in horror as the bolt struck less than a foot from where Anakin was lying._

_That time, when Obi-Wan attempted to rise, no one stopped him._

"_Now it is your turn. Swear your allegiance to me or else the ones recording this will kill young Skywalker."_

_Obi-Wan dropped to his knees, his head hanging forward as the air around him screamed its silent warning against what he was about to do. There was the swish of fabric and soon he found himself staring down at the hem of Palpatine's cloak._

_With a deep breath, Obi-Wan raised his head, staring up at Palpatine's emotionless face and spoke the words that appeared suddenly in his mind. "I pledge myself to your teachings, Lord Sidious. To the ways of the Sith."_

_The smile that twisted Sidious' lips made Obi-Wan's stomach clench. "Then rise, Lord Vader."_

Though he had spoken the words, Obi-Wan had no intentions of honouring his vow. Not when the vow would take him so far from Anakin. Obi-Wan refused to allow Anakin to follow him down this path of darkness. For the moment, though, he would have to obey Sidious' commands. He was weaponless and surrounded by a half dozen guards with energized pikes. Even were he to knock them aside with the aide of the Force, Sidious would notice and retaliate, attacking him with the blue lightning that had drained Anakin so completely.

"How would you like to be responsible for ending a war?" Sidious inquired, rising from his desk to stalk over to the couch where Obi-Wan still sat.


	23. Part XXIII

Obi-Wan scratched nervously at his stubbled jaw. In all honesty he had no idea what he was doing. Lord Sidious, his new master, had given him the name of a planetary system and he was expected to go there and kill the Separatist leaders who were in seclusion there. He didn't understand why he was supposed to bring an end to a war that Sidious had admitted to spending over a decade setting in motion. But as there was a lot that he didn't understand, Obi-Wan decided to follow whatever course of events the fates had in store for him, hoping that they would bring him and Anakin together again. Obi-Wan had to believe it.

Since his knowledge of the galaxy was lacking and the star maps only confusing him, his astromech droid had been programmed with the coordinates for Alzoc III. It was there in an old munitions factory that Obi-Wan had been told he would find his prey. That it was so cut and dry made Obi-Wan even more nervous. He couldn't trust that everything was laid out so perfectly that it would only take a few strokes of the lightsaber Sidious had given him to end a war he hadn't even been aware had started.

The lightsaber didn't have a blue blade like the one Anakin assured him was his. When Obi-Wan had ignited it in the hanger he had been surprised to see the red blade. It had caused him to shudder, the colour far more sinister than he was comfortable with. Lord Sidious' eyes had been equally frightening. It was as though some sort of hellfire glowed behind his eyes. Obi-Wan feared that same fire would consume him as well and that he would no longer be the man Anakin loved.

First he had to make sure Anakin was kept alive and to ensure that he had to do what Sidious wanted of him. He had to be a cold-blooded murderer until he proved to Sidious that he could be trusted. That he truly was a disciple of the Dark Side of the Force. In all honestly Obi-Wan didn't really understand it when people spoke of the Force. He knew that it was responsible when he altered the thoughts of other individuals or when he threw things about without touching them. It was the nonsense about light and dark that he didn't understand.

The arfour unit that was navigating his starfighter informed him that they were entering Alzoc III's atmosphere. Very soon he would become a murderer. Obi-Wan felt sick in the pit of his stomach at the thought of what he knew he would have to do if he wanted Anakin to remain unharmed. That was the thought Obi-Wan chose to focus on as he manually took control of the starfighter. Anakin had informed him that his unease while flying was something that had always existed. Still, he could pilot the ship decently so he had to have done it on a regular basis. Obi-Wan wondered what else he had done in the past he couldn't remember.

How much blood already stained his hands.

There had to be a reason that Sidious had chosen him for an apprentice. It couldn't have been an idle decision if the Sith Lord had gone through all the trouble to abduct Anakin in order to ensure his compliance. Obi-Wan had to have done something to warrant the man's attention.

* * *

Not being able to sense Obi-Wan unnerved Anakin. Their connection had become so intimate over the past few weeks that Obi-Wan's faded presence had become a void. It left him feeling entirely too hollow. Even worse, since he was essentially on house arrest, banned from leaving the room, he couldn't do anything to remedy the situation. He had tried, but the clone troopers outside the door stopped him every time.

Once he'd regained his sense of equilibrium, Anakin had taken to pacing. He would have tried the window as a means of escape only they were too high up and there was no ledge. Anakin stayed near to the window, though, on the off chance that a speeder came close enough to the building for him to jump out and hitch a ride for at least a brief while. Long enough to get away from his guards and start searching for Obi-Wan. Anakin didn't know where he had been taken before since he'd been unconscious for both his abduction and release, leaving him without a starting point to begin his search. He was determined to find Obi-Wan regardless.

The only thing Anakin did know was the Obi-Wan was no longer on Coruscant. If he had been Anakin was certain that he would have been able to sense him. He was sure of it, their bond was so strong. If he could just get beyond Coruscant's atmosphere Anakin was sure that he would be able to sense which way Obi-Wan had been taken.

"On Coruscant, Palpatine still is," Master Yoda announced as he entered the room. "Where Obi-Wan is, we know not."

Anakin wheeled around, his gaze focused on the small Jedi Master. "You have to let me out of here so that I can find Obi-Wan. We've already wasted enough time and the longer we wait the more danger Obi-Wan is in. You're letting Palpatine twist Obi-Wan's mind more and more. Please, you have to let me go to him."

Anakin hadn't been aware that he'd dropped to his knees while he spoke. When he lifted his head, though, hoping to beseech the ancient Jedi Master to heed his pleas, he found himself at almost eye-level with the diminutive creature.

"Dangerous, this passion is," Master Yoda sighed, leaning heavily upon his gimmer stick. "Without it, a Jedi should be for judgment passion clouds. Dangerous enough the galaxy is with the return of the Sith and lose more Jedi we cannot. Risk you, the Council cannot."

"But you'll risk Obi-Wan's?" Anakin demanded, his voice frighteningly calm. "Obi-Wan is a far better Jedi than I could ever hope to be. He's strong and wise, loyal. He's everything that a Jedi should be. Don't punish him because he can't remember that right now."

"Punish Obi-Wan, the Council does not," Master Yoda countered with a brief shake of his head. "Protect you, the Council does. Fallen to the Dark Side your Master has. A threat he has become."

"Obi-Wan would never hurt me," Anakin protested as he shot back up to his full height.

Master Yoda began to toddle towards the door. "His intention it might not be, but harm you your Master could. So stay here you will for your protection."

* * *

Palpatine checked the progress of Vader's starfighter, ensuring that his new apprentice didn't deviate from his route. He was putting a great deal of trust in the man's devotion to his padawan because at present that was all that held Obi-Wan Kenobi to him. So long as Vader believed that Anakin was in danger he would follow orders without questioning them. Once Vader had killed the Separatist leaders he would be bound to the Sith.

If not, Palpatine had plans for what would be done if Vader continued to resist. There were many devotees to the Sith Order who would gladly ensure that there was nothing left of Vader to protest his new existence, many of them disgruntled Jedi who would not look kindly on Kenobi for his fall from Jedi golden boy to Sith apprentice. Palpatine counted on the animosity to keep Vader in line while the Jedi Order was systematically dismantled.

And in the chaos that ensued, Palpatine would bring the Sith once again into prominence.

* * *

Waiting ten minutes to ensure that Master Yoda had left the medical wing, Anakin set about removing the pane of plasteel from the window frame. It would have been easy enough to jump through, but he didn't much feel like dealing with the irritating scratches the shards of plasteel left behind. There would be other things to hold his attention.

Anakin's next task was rewiring the room's comlink to enable him to communicate outside of the building. There was only one other person on Coruscant that he trusted to help him save Obi-Wan.

"Dex's Diner, sweety, what can I do you for?"

* * *

Back in his rooms, Yoda sat himself on his meditation cushion. He'd left young Skywalker knowing full well what the boy had planned. Despite all of his training, Anakin still gave into his emotions far too easily. And when he did that he projected his thoughts and intentions quite clearly. Anakin was bound and determined to find Obi-Wan and nothing the Council did would stop him. If the pair was truly such a balancing entity in the Force, their bond would be enough to allow Anakin to find his absent Master.

What the future held, Yoda could not see. The brief lifting of the haze created by the Dark Side had faded in the wake of Anakin's abduction and Obi-Wan's apparent rejection of the Jedi Order. As of yet there was no formal proof, but the current state of affairs was an obvious indicator of what had happened.

That he couldn't pick out Obi-Wan's distinctive Force signature worried the aged Jedi Master. Yoda had always been able to detect Obi-Wan when he so choose and his inability to do it presently filled him with unease. The chaos that was Anakin's Force signature offered him no clues as to what had become of Obi-Wan.

Unfortunately, there were more pressing concerns that demanded his attention. Though it was barely a week old, the war between the Republic and the Separatists had far eclipsed that on Naboo more than a decade before. Both clone troopers and Jedi were being killed every day in conflicts with the Separatist's droid army. Yoda feared that there would be countless more deaths before the war came to an end.

* * *

Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure what to make of the fact that he was expected. No sooner had he touched down on Alzoc III than he was met by a delegation of the local government. Not entirely certain what was expected of him, Obi-Wan simply took events as they came and hoped for the best. He'd been told that he had excellent diplomatic skills and hoped to find that the loss of his memory hadn't effected it any. He still required these people to take him to where the Separatist leaders were secluded and couldn't risk affronting them.

"Lord Sidious spoke very highly of you," the leader of the delegation said as they settled onto the cruiser that would take them into the city. "He informed us that you need to meet with the men we are harbouring."

Obi-Wan nodded his head curtly. "Yes, I'm here to relay my master's instructions to them."

"We were most surprised that Lord Sidious chose to send you rather than contacting them through the usual channels," the lavender-skinned humanoid questioned, glancing Obi-Wan's way rather indirectly.

"This is not a message that can be relayed through a holocommunicator."

* * *

Dex could easily remember the first time he'd met young Anakin Skywalker. It was a few weeks after Obi-Wan had taken him on as his apprentice. He had been a hyperactive nine year old staring wide-eyed at everything around him. Obi-Wan had simply sat in a booth, watching as the boy bounded around the diner, talking to everyone willing to start a conversation. He had been so innocent even though his childhood had been spent in slavery.

That afternoon Dex could find no sense of that innocent little boy. The only thing Anakin was radiating then was fear.

"I didn't think I'd ever be breaking a Jedi out of the Jedi Temple," Dex chuckled as he steered his speeder away from the Temple.

"Thank you for that," Anakin murmured as he sorted through the small arsenal of weapons Dex had scrounged up for him. "The Council won't listen to me so I have to do this on my own. I won't let them abandon Obi-Wan."

Dex admired the boy's devotion to his Master. And he knew that Obi-Wan felt the same. He'd shared many drinks with the Jedi Knight over the past ten years and had watched Obi-Wan's fear and jealousy had become genuine affection. He knew that Obi-Wan was utterly devoted to the boy and would have mounted his own assault had their situations been reversed. He might not have admitted to it, but he would have defied the Jedi Council if it meant saving his padawan.

"So do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into, kiddo?"

Strapping a holster to his thigh, Anakin glanced up at him quickly. "All I know is that Obi-Wan's in over his head and I have to find him. I have to help him before… I don't even want to think about what'll happen, but I have to find him."

Dex didn't question him. He merely nodded his head as he guided the speeder towards one of the many spaceports that dotted Coruscant's surface.

* * *

With a gasp, Obi-Wan dropped to his knees. All around him were the bodies of the Separatist leaders. They were all either missing limbs or had been slashed by his new red-bladed lightsaber. The one thing they all shared in common was that they were all dead by his hand. His lightsaber clattered to the ground as he leaned forward, vomiting up mostly stomach acids and bile as he hadn't eaten anything that day.

Wiping the back of his hand over his mouth, Obi-Wan rose shakily to his feet. Obi-Wan spit a final time as he leaned over to retrieve his lightsaber. He stood up too quickly then, wavering slightly. Obi-Wan staggered across the room, sitting himself down on a console far away from the carnage.

It wasn't the killing that frightened him so much as the fact that he didn't know why he'd done it. Obi-wan had no idea what the politics of his actions were, whether he'd killed people who'd genuinely meant to do harm or if he'd killed innocent people— figureheads.

Obi-Wan threw his lightsaber away then, tossing it across the room. He shrugged out of his cloak next, obi and belt following immediately after, creating a pile of dark leather on the ground. In only his tunic, trousers and boots Obi-Wan stalked out of the room. He had to get off of the planet and away from Sidious' grasp. Obi-Wan didn't want to be used to hurt anyone else or be a threat to Anakin.

He would go somewhere safe. Somewhere he could hide from Sidious and where he hoped Anakin could find him. Anakin had found him once before. He'd rescued him before when Obi-Wan thought he'd never be safe again.

_I'm sorry, Anakin. I'm so sorry._


	24. Part XXIV

Tatooine was the only place Obi-Wan could remember feeling safe. It was where Anakin had found him and Obi-Wan had felt safe if only for a few days. The only time he could remember actually feeling safe. So Obi-Wan had decided to go to that remote planet to hide from Sidious and get his own head sorted out. Without his memories he was a danger to those around him. He had powers that he didn't understand and didn't know how to use properly and no matter how much he loved Anakin, Obi-Wan refused to put him at risk. Sidious had already used Anakin as a way to gain his cooperation, something Obi-Wan would not allow to happen a second time.

That he didn't like sand was only a minor inconvenience. Tatooine's desert landscape would ensure that no one would come to look for him. He could disappear into the rocky outcroppings and live as a hermit. Trading in his starship to a parts dealer, Obi-Wan was able to purchase a speeder bike and the necessary supplies for life on Tatooine: plenty of water, food, sturdy clothes, sufficient shelter, and a blaster. Beyond the borders of Tatooine's many spaceports the Tusken raiders were a constant threat that Obi-Wan would not make himself vulnerable to a second time. He was stronger now than he had been as their slave and wouldn't cower before them. He would kill them all if any attempted to enslave him a second time.

The home Obi-Wan created for himself was very primitive, little more than a cave in the center of a rocky outcropping some two hundred kilometers outside of Mos Espa, far beyond the borders of the last moisture farm. There was something familiar about Mos Espa, though he couldn't remember it.

It felt strange to Obi-Wan, not hearing the hum of Anakin's presence in his mind. He knew that he could have reopened their connection, but he wanted to keep Anakin safe. If Sidious was still having Anakin watched then the Sith lord could use the younger man to find him. Then the whole cycle would begin a second time. So in his cave, Obi-Wan spent many hours hiding himself from Anakin. In the quiet, Obi-Wan was able to turn his thoughts inward and shoring up the walls he found there. Walls that had been blasted open with his memory loss and that he was building back up brick by brick so that he could keep Anakin safe.

Once a week, Obi-Wan ventured back into Mos Espa for more supplies and to find out what news he could about the galaxy beyond his little cave. The war was over and in its wake both Chancellor Palpatine and the Hero with No Fear had disappeared. The first few times he'd heard the Hero with No Fear mentioned, Obi-Wan hadn't realized that it was Anakin the HoloNet spoke of. His own image appeared often enough, however, though hooded his identity had remained a subject of question. There were whispers of the name Vader, but nothing more.

The first of Tatooine's two suns was dipping below the horizon when Obi-Wan felt the first tingling of his presence.

"You didn't think you could escape me so easily, did you?"

* * *

Anakin shifted uncomfortably in the pilot's chair of his starfighter. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd slept in a bed, but ignored his desire for a bed in favour of continuing his search for Obi-Wan. With Dex's help, Anakin had gained possession of a well-armed starfighter and had even snuck Artoo out of his and Obi-Wan's quarters in favour of the unknown astromech droid Dex had offered up. Less than two hours after his escape from the Temple's medical wing, Anakin was spacebound.

He hadn't thought he'd still be searching for the other man a month later.

At first Anakin had had no idea where he was going, only vague reports that a starfighter had left the Senate Rotunda not long after Anakin's own rescue and immediately leaving Coruscant's atmosphere without making a single stop. Anakin had been on Duro when he'd learned of the execution of the Separatist leaders on Alzoc III. Even though the HoloNet reporters had been unable to glean any clues of their murderer's identity, Anakin had known in his heart that it was Obi-Wan.

It was at Alzoc III that tracking Obi-Wan became more difficult. His lover had simply disappeared after that. Anakin spoke to traders, smugglers, innkeepers, barmen, and any other person he thought might give him some hint as to where Obi-Wan had gone after he'd left Alzoc III. Even under threat from a lightsaber, Anakin was given no conclusive lead about Obi-Wan's route.

With no other choice, Anakin had simply begun to search planets and systems at random, starting outward from Obi-Wan's last known location.

_ANAKIN!_

Startled by the sudden mental shout, Anakin jerked in his seat, banging his head off an overhead console. All at once his senses were flooded as the bond between him and Obi-Wan flared back to life.

_Obi-Wan...? Is that you?_

He received only a single word in response before the bond was silenced once again.

_Tatooine._

* * *

Obi-Wan stiffened at the sound of Sidious' voice. On some level he had always known this was a possibility. If Sidious had the ability to orchestrate an entire war it would have been no challenge to find a single lost Jedi.

"You think far too highly of me if you believe I had even considered such a thing," Obi-Wan said with as much calm in his voice as he could muster.

"Yet still you ran when I ordered you to return to me," Sidious mused as he moved to stand directly beside Obi-Wan. "I spared the boy when I could have easily—and rightly –had him killed. Should I go back on my word as you have on yours?"

"Leave Anakin out of this," Obi-Wan snarled, sparing the old man a brief glance. "I did your killing for you. I've done everything your way so leave me in peace."

"Such passion you are able to call forth when pleading for a life not your own," Sidious chuckled. "It's almost worth killing the boy just to see your reaction."

Even as he started to turn, Obi-Wan knew he had not chance against the Sith lord. Still, he reached for his blaster, raising it up to firing level as he whirled on the smaller man. He wasn't surprised when he was thrown back several feet, his upraised arm smacking off a boulder with enough force to make him loose his grip on the blaster.

"That really was foolish, my dear boy," Sidious sighed, stalking towards where Obi-Wan lay crumpled on the ground. "With all of the power I grant you, the concessions I make for you, and still you betray me. Is this the result of the teachings passed down from the Jedi Order's revered Master Yoda? If this is what comes of his line, I fear for the rest of your kind."

Obi-Wan barely had the time to roll onto his back so that he was facing Sidious before he was struck by that same blue lightning that had ravaged Anakin before. His body bowed as pain spiked through what felt like every nerve in his body.

As Sidious raised his hands to deliver a second strike, Obi-Wan rolled quickly to his side, taking refuge behind a large boulder. Obi-Wan lay against the rock, panting, knowing that it would offer him only a brief respite. Reaching out with his senses, Obi-Wan was frustrated to learn that Sidious was the only other living thing nearby, the other footsteps belonging to droids from the defeated Separatist army. No living minds for him to coax to his bidding.

So instead Obi-Wan scrambled into a crouched position and took off through the slim pass that led to the outer edges of the outcropping. For the first time Obi-Wan regretted that he'd left the lightsaber behind on Alzoc III. It would have been the only effective weapon against Sidious' lightning which was even then flashing over his head.

Momentarily losing his footing on the rough terrain, Obi-Wan stumbled and in that brief moment Sidious was once again able to strike. With a scream, Obi-Wan fell to his knees and was barely able to catch himself before he toppled forward completely. His momentum was only slowed because with the next blast of blue-tinged lightning Obi-Wan's arms trembled and gave out.

Not entirely certain he wouldn't regret it later, Obi-Wan threw down the barriers that kept Anakin's mind from his own.

_ANAKIN!_

He waited barely a heartbeat before he heard Anakin's frantic voice echoing in his mind.

_Obi-Wan...? Is that you?_

Obi-Wan only had enough time to shout out the planet's name before the third bolt of lightning sent him tumbling into blackness.

* * *

The planet Lok was little more than a parsec from Tatooine. Anakin had chosen that particular planet as his final stop before venturing back to Geonosis. And while Geonosis was closer to Tatooine than Lok, Anakin was still grateful that he was close enough to respond to Obi-Wan's panicked plea for help. Even as he fired up the starship's hyperspace booster, Anakin was silently cursing himself for not having gone to Tatooine immediately after discovering Obi-Wan wasn't on Alzoc III. Tatooine was one of the few places Obi-Wan knew and was the most logical place for him to hide.

Even though the hyperspace booster sped the ship's progress immensely, the trip was still far too slow. Through their new awakened bond, Anakin could feel the buzz of Obi-Wan's pain. Pain that was far more mental than it was physical.

Toggling a few of the controls, Anakin did what he could to speed the ship's progress to Tatooine. Reaching out across their bond, he sought to soothe Obi-Wan as best he could. In his mind he drew forth an image of Obi-Wan, lightly stroking his stubbled jaw with mental fingers that then moved to brush against his temple.

_I'm coming, Obi-Wan. Fast as I can._

* * *

Sidious couldn't help but chuckle when he felt the sudden presence of Anakin Skywalker. He had expected the boy to try to rescue his former master, but hadn't expected him to arrive so soon. It was just as well for it meant he would have two puppets instead of just the one.

"My Lord Sidious, we've caught a Republic starfighter in the tractor beam," one of the clone troopers announced over the ship communicator.

"Excellent. Bring it into the main hanger and have a squadron of droids waiting for it."

The communication ended, Sidious nodded to the medidroid standing on the other side of the exam table. His new apprentice lay on the table, sedated. It would make the procedure that much simpler.

"Have one of the clones put him back in his room when this is over," Sidious ordered before striding from the room.

* * *

At first Anakin had considered putting up a fight when he realized that his ship was being dragged into the docking bay of the Republic cruiser. Sensing both Obi-Wan and Palpatine on board, though, he realized that it would be a futile effort. Palpatine would know of his presence and would have the entire ship on high alert if he wasn't immediately found inside the starfighter. So instead Anakin remained in the pilot's seat, waiting for the droids to find him.

"You need to come with us," the leader of the droid squadron said as it entered the cockpit.

Turning the chair away from the console, Anakin rose slowly to his feet. "Of course."

"Your lightsaber, please," the same droid demanded, holding a blaster out towards him with one hand, the other outstretched.

Anakin was somewhat reluctant about this, but handed over the weapon nonetheless. Uneasy as the situation made him, it was a necessary one if he was to rescue Obi-Wan. He tried, but could reach Obi-Wan through their bond. Like that day on Coruscant, Obi-Wan's mind was far too chaotic for Anakin to get through to him. Even when Obi-Wan was screaming his name, he hadn't been coherent enough to realize that Anakin wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

His hands bound before him, Anakin was led off the starship where he was immediately met by Palpatine. Or rather, Lord Sidious. Even though he was physically the same man Anakin had known since he had first arrived on Coruscant, nothing remained of the man who had been Anakin's friend.

"I would have thought you'd have been the first to find your former master," Sidious taunted as Anakin came to a stop before him. "I was led to believe that you shared quite a significant bond. The Jedi have been muttering for weeks that the two of you are able to bring balance to the Force. What a tragedy for them they're mistaken."

"Believe what you must," Anakin smirked, relaxing his shoulders in attempt to calm himself. "Obi-Wan is stronger than you think."

"Lord Vader is quite resilient," Sidious agreed, his expression angering Anakin. "I wouldn't have selected him otherwise."

"His name is Obi-Wan."

Sidious chuckled, turning his back on Anakin and stalking away. "Put the inhibitor collar on him and place him in one of the detention cells. Perhaps one just down the corridor from his former master."

Glaring at Sidious' retreating form, Anakin managed to refrain shouting threats at the Sith lord. He would be near Obi-Wan and even with the inhibitor collar he would be able to do something. He might be able to at least let Obi-Wan know that he was there and that he wasn't alone.

* * *

Obi-Wan lay curled on the small bench in the detention room, panting as he tried his best to focus himself. There was something very wrong. It wasn't like before when he'd first lost his memory. Obi-Wan knew exactly who he was, who he'd been for the past two months in any case. It felt as though there was a haze over his mind, spreading sludge-like through his system. Every time Obi-Wan thought he found some way to center himself it slipped through his grasp and he was lost once again in the haze. 


	25. Part XXV

Even with his connection to the Force temporarily silenced, Anakin instinctively knew when they'd reached the corridor where Obi-Wan was being held. One didn't need the Force to feel the tension vibrating in the air. Being without the Force also didn't hinder Anakin's ability to fight. Obi-Wan had made sure that Anakin knew how to use hand to hand combat without relying on the Force to protect him. His own knowledge of droids allowed him to alter those same fighting techniques to use again the droids guarding him.

Twisting suddenly, Anakin dropped to his knees, his contorting body causing the droids to knock together and momentarily loosen their grip on his upper arms. Able to move better, Anakin rolled onto his sides and in the process kicked the legs out from under the first droid. While it was still falling, he reached up and grabbed hold of the other one's ankle and yanked violently. He miscalculated slightly and its heavy durasteel torso clipped his shoulder on the way down, hard enough to cause Anakin a noticeable twinge of pain.

His bound hands made things a bit awkward, but Anakin was able to wrench loose the correct cables while the two droids were floundering to right themselves. Once they were properly incapacitated, Anakin climbed out from under the mess. He found the necessary release mechanisms for both the binders and the Force inhibitor, but only unfastened the binders. Anakin pocketed the one for the Force inhibitor and hid the remains of the droids in an empty detention room.

Anakin paused a moment, scrubbing his hands over his face as he struggled to center himself. That was the easy part. Anakin could easily handle a few droids. But he didn't know what had happened to Obi-Wan or if he was even going to be in any condition to help with any type of an escape.

* * *

Whimpering, Obi-Wan smacked the back of his head against the durasteel wall behind him.

_He won't come for you._

_The Jedi have abandoned you._

_The Jedi fear you._

_He fears you_

Obi-Wan screamed then, his eyes still squeezed shut tight as he tried to banish the voices from his mind. Over again, on a loop, and interrupting each other, they continued to taunt him.

_The light has abandoned you._

_He will not come._

_All that remains is darkness..._

Even though the voices never acknowledged him, Obi-Wan continued to shout at it, denying everything it said. It was tiring, though. Obi-Wan couldn't recall the last time there had been silence inside his head. The voices didn't give him a moment's rest. They wouldn't allow him time to contradict them as they spoke in endless breaths.

If he could just make them stop… long enough for him to catch his breath and just have a couple of minutes of silence.

_The Jedi will destroy you now._

_They will not let you live. Sithspawn._

_They will send him—_

"Obi-Wan!"

–_to kill you._

_He will—_

"Can you hear me…?"

–_kill you._

"Obi-Wan?"

* * *

Anakin's fingers danced a hairsbreadth above Obi-Wan's convulsing form. Every time he touched him Obi-Wan screamed in agony. Even with the inhibitor collar off and speaking to Obi-Wan through both their bond and vocally, he couldn't seem to get through to him.

"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan, please… please wake up. You need to wake up. We don't have much time," Anakin pleaded, using the Force to lightly brush Obi-Wan's hair away from his face. "Come on. You're stronger than whatever this is."

It was all taking too long and Anakin was starting to panic. He knew that it wouldn't take Sidious long to realize what had happened and while Anakin was pretty sure he could use the Force to levitate Obi-Wan back to his starfighter, it would take a lot out of him. They would be too slow and the droids would overtake them.

"Please let this work," Anakin whispered to himself as he leaned over Obi-Wan's upper body.

Master Yoda had said that they'd created some sort of balance in the Force that morning when they'd made love. Following that hunch, Anakin used the Force to still the movements of Obi-Wan's head as he leaned forward. He brushed his lips against Obi-Wan's, waiting until he was sure that he wasn't causing his lover any further pain before increasing the kiss.

_Obi-Wan, listen to me,_ Anakin whispered along their bond. I_ need you to wake up now._

_He won't help you. He wants to kill you. The Jedi sent him to kill you._

The other voice caught Anakin completely off guard. He jerked slightly, nearly breaking contact with Obi-Wan. Steadying himself just in time, Anakin maintained the contact between the two of them, bringing his hands up to lightly stroke Obi-Wan's cheeks.

_Obi-Wan, don't listen to it. I'm not going to kill you, Obi-Wan, I swear it. Please, just listen to me. Follow my voice. Listen to me and follow my voice. Please._

_

* * *

He will—_

_Obi-Wan, don't listen to it. I'm not going to kill you, Obi-Wan, I swear it. Please, just listen to me. Follow my voice. Listen to me and follow my voice. Please._

–_kill you._

It wasn't silence, but it was Anakin. That was nearly as good as silence, better perhaps. Anakin could make all the voices go away and keep him safe. Concentrating as hard as he was able, Obi-Wan struggled to find a handhold to grasp their bond and follow Anakin back to where it was safe.

_Anakin..._

There was a sudden flaring, as though a sudden light was ignited behind his eyes, and he could see a hazy outline of Anakin.

_I'm right here, Obi-Wan. Take my hand and follow me back._

Concentrating as hard as he was able, Obi-Wan was able to discern Anakin's hand in the darkness that flickered about him. At first it felt as though his hand slipped through Anakin's as though through a fog. There was a sudden grip to his wrist then and Obi-Wan knew it was Anakin. Fumbling about, he latched onto Anakin's wrist with his free hand, holding tight to it as Anakin began to back away from the consuming darkness.

The light that followed was so startling that Obi-Wan couldn't swallow the scream that bubbled in his throat. His body twisted in reaction to the pain and he found himself wrapped tight in Anakin's arms, warm lips pressed to his cheek.

"Ana… Anakin," he gasped as he lay trembling against the younger man. "Anakin."

* * *

Anakin held Obi-Wan against his side, supporting them as they slunk through the shadows of the star cruiser. Obi-Wan was conscious and functioning mostly under his own power, but Anakin felt safer in keeping him close as neither of them had any weapons. It would be easier once they left the bowels of the ship and came across some of the clone troopers. Even with his mind half-clouded by the drug, Obi-Wan was still a very powerful mind manipulator.

"D'ye know where we're going?" Obi-Wan whispered as he and Anakin came to a stop at the end of a corridor near a lower level docking bay.

"If it's like any of the other ones we've been on, yeah."

Beside him, Anakin could see Obi-Wan frown. "Oh. Have we been on a lot?"

Anakin shook his head briefly. "A handful of them. Not a lot."

"Good."

It was simple enough for Anakin to guess that there were still a lot of gaps in Obi-Wan's memory. It had been more than a month and a half since Obi-Wan had first lost his memory and Anakin couldn't help but worry that the older man would never fully remember his life. At the moment it was enough to know that Obi-Wan loved him with or without his memory.

There were no ships in the docking bay that either of them could pilot—they were all droid crafts and lacking cockpits –so they had no choice but to abandon an easy escape in favour of venturing into the upper levels of the cruiser where Anakin knew his own ship was. Artoo was up there as well and even though Anakin didn't have his comlink anymore, he knew the astromech droid would find a way to help their escape.

"Let's go," Anakin whispered, tugging briefly on Obi-Wan's hand.

Behind him, Obi-Wan stumbled briefly, his body still weak. Anakin forced himself to ignore it, knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment. They had to get off of the cruiser and to a Republic-friendly planet. Then the two of them could hide until Obi-Wan was better and decide what they were going to do after that.

The both of them stumbled when the klaxon alarm sounded, the sound reverberating off the walls of the narrow corridor. It was safe to say that someone had noticed their escape which would make escaping far more difficult.

* * *

Stumbling after Anakin, Obi-Wan ran down the corridor. His mind still echoed with the sounds of voices taunting him, trying to convince him that Anakin only meant to kill him. That the Jedi wanted him dead. That—

–_the light has abandoned you. You are a creature of darkness. You are a Sith._

Stifling a cry, Obi-Wan's knees buckled and he had to grip Anakin's shirt tightly to keep from falling. Then Anakin's arms were around him, holding him tight until Obi-Wan was steadier on his feet.

"Make it stop," Obi-Wan moaned against Anakin's shoulder.

"Obi-Wan…? Make what stop?"

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut tight, breathing deeply to calm his nerves. "Voices. So many voices. They won't leave me alone."

The gentle hum that had faded to the very edges of Obi-Wan's consciousness began to increase in volume, enveloping him with warmth. Obi-Wan sighed, relaxing against Anakin, focusing on their bond and shoving those voices as far into his subconscious as he could manage.

_Stay here with me, Obi-Wan. Just focus on me. I'll get us out of this just like I always do._

Obi-Wan felt buoyed by Anakin's presence, calmer than he had in a long while. He was able to stand on his own and follow after under his own power if not with a huge amount of vigor. With each step Obi-Wan felt a little calmer and little surer of himself. His faith in Anakin had never wavered, but given what he knew of the Jedi Council he couldn't place his trust in them. They were the ones who'd wanted to separate Anakin and him.

* * *

It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to him that Skywalker had managed to get to his former master despite the Force inhibitor. The boy was incredibly talented. For a time Sidious had even planned on making Skywalker his apprentice. However, Skywalker had learned everything from Vader and Vader possessed a rage that he hadn't expected which made him the idea apprentice.

For the moment Sidious planned to see if the two men could get up to the docking bay. It would be amusing if nothing else.

* * *

They were nearing the docking bay when Obi-Wan was first able to sense Sidious' presence on the ship. He tensed briefly, his eyes darting about to search out the man who was determined to kill Anakin. Obi-Wan was suddenly fearful that the Sith lord would follow through on his earlier threats.

"You should go," Obi-Wan said, coming to a stop at the edge of one of the corridors. "Go back to Coruscant or wherever you'll be safe."

Anakin whirled around, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Obi-Wan?"

"I'm the one that Sidious wants. If you go by yourself you'll be safe. He won't have a reason to hurt you any longer," Obi-Wan insisted, looking everywhere but at Anakin. He couldn't let the younger man see just how desperately he wanted to stay with him. "Please, Anakin. If I do what he wants, he'll let you go."

Bringing his hands up to hold Obi-Wan's face, Anakin shook his head vehemently. "No. I'm not leaving you here with that monster. He'll destroy you."

Bowing his head forward, Obi-Wan touched his forehead to Anakin's. "But it'll keep you safe."

"We usually do this the other way around," Anakin murmured, a brief smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Usually I'm the one protecting you."

"Then let me be the one to protect you this time."

* * *

On some level, Anakin knew that he should have expected it. Even so it was a shock when Obi-Wan slapped the Force inhibitor back around his neck, effectively preventing him from fighting back as Obi-Wan hoisted him a few inches above the ground.

"Obi-Wan, what are you doing?" Anakin demanded as Obi-Wan began to float him towards the docking bay. Straining as hard as he could, Anakin couldn't even manage to twitch a single finger. "This is insane, Obi-Wan. Let me down and we'll figure out a way to do this properly. We can both get out of here, just let me down."

"I'm sorry, Anakin."

* * *

"Ahh, my young apprentice, this is most unexpected," Sidious mused as Vader strode confidently into the docking bay, Anakin Skywalker hovering just behind his shoulder. "Have you come to offer up your former lover as a prisoner?"

Vader didn't even pause as he stalked across the wide space. "You swore to me that Anakin wouldn't be hurt if I became your apprentice. I'm seeing just how serious you were about that pledge."

"So I must be expected to abide by my word while you are free to ignore your own?"

"You drugged me," Vader snarled, shifting his gaze towards Sidious as he neared the older man. "You owe me this. You're going to let Anakin go as a gesture of your good will, my Master."

The anger that infused Vader's words was intoxicating. His young apprentice was slipping further and further into the clutches of the Dark Side with each moment that passed regardless of his intentions. And very soon, once Skywalker was dealt with, he would have Vader completely at his beck and call.

"As you will, Lord Vader. I give you my word that young Skywalker will be allowed to leave the system completely unmolested," Sidious assured the younger Sith.

"I mean to hold you to that, my Master."

* * *

Hovering in place just behind Obi-Wan's left shoulder, Anakin could only watch the proceedings with rising panic. Unable to gain a sense of Obi-Wan's thoughts, he couldn't be sure what the older man had planned. Anakin wasn't even entirely sure that Obi-Wan knew what he had planned.

Glowering as best as he was able given his current immobile status, Anakin kept alert to what was going on around him. The moment Obi-Wan released him he wanted to be ready. Anakin had no intention of allowing Obi-Wan to go through with whatever nonsense he had planned.

Anakin was caught off guard when he was thrown in the direction of his starfighter. When he landed in a jumble of limbs on the ground, Anakin realized that he once again had control over his body. Anakin had the Force inhibitor off before he was on his feet, scanning through the area for something he could use as a weapon.

Only to be bowled over a moment later, landing flat on his back for a second time in under a minute. Scanning the area around him, Anakin could only stare in shock at the sight before him.

Scrambling to his feet, Anakin sprinted to where Obi-Wan stood, red lightsaber in hand. On the ground in front of him was Sidious, everything from the shoulders down. His head was lying a few feet away, unblinking eyes staring at the ceiling. The lightsaber clattered to the ground as Obi-Wan staggered backwards, bumping into Anakin who immediately gathered the older man up in his arms.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Anakin whispered in his ear, tugging Obi-Wan towards the starfighter. "We'll go somewhere far away and we'll hide. We'll hide from everyone. It'll just be the two of us and we'll be safe."

"Safe," Obi-Wan echoed, nodding his head jerkily.


	26. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

From across the pillow, Anakin scrutinized Obi-Wan's features as he slept. It wasn't often that he was awake first so Anakin too advantage of the opportunity to study his lover. In the nearly four months since they'd settled on Alderaan, Anakin had enjoyed waking up next to Obi-Wan each morning. Even if one of them woke up before the other the two of them stayed in bed together, the sunlight streaming in on them through the large balcony doors on the opposite side of the bedroom.

Lifting himself up on his elbow, Anakin reached over to run his fingers through Obi-Wan's longer hair. It had grown out somewhat in the months they'd been living in exile, his hair still short, but no longer a ragged mess. He'd even managed to convince Obi-Wan that a beard was more trouble than it was worth. On the whole Obi-Wan looked happier and healthier than Anakin could remember him being in a long time. Long hours outdoors had given his skin a bronzed glow once the initial sunburns had faded and he smiled and laughed a lot more than he had in the past.

Originally, Anakin had only meant for them to hide away until Obi-Wan regained his memory. And while Obi-Wan may not be able to remember much of his life before the failed mission to Ranth'fer, he could remember enough to decide that he didn't want to return to Coruscant. He'd given Anakin his blessing if he'd wanted to return to the Jedi Temple, but had informed Anakin that he couldn't follow.

"_The Jedi are not supposed to form attachments, Anakin. How can I be a proper Jedi if I'll put the entire galaxy in jeopardy to keep you safe?" Obi-Wan demanded as he slumped onto the bed. "I did what Sidious wanted because he threatened your life. And I'd do it again."_

_Anakin gave the only response he could think of. Moving quickly into the 'fresher, he found the flat-bladed razor Obi-Wan used each morning to shave and brought it back with him into their bedroom. He knelt down in front of Obi-Wan, holding the handle of the razor out towards the older man._

"_If you're not a Jedi then neither am I," Anakin said solemnly, tilting his head to the left. Grabbing hold of his padawan braid, Anakin held it taught._

"_Anakin...?"_

"_Cut off the braid," Anakin instructed. "I won't return to the temple unless you are with me. I can't be a Jedi unless you're there with me. I don't trust any of them, only you."_

That morning Obi-Wan had cut off both Anakin's padawan braid and the short tail at the base of his skull. His Jedi robes along with the remainder of Obi-Wan's Sith attire had been burned, effectively erasing all physical evidence that the two men had once been Jedi.

Anakin knew that one day they would have to face the Council, but for the moment he was enjoying the peaceful life he and Obi-Wan had built on Alderaan. He wasn't foolish enough to think that the Council didn't know where they were. If the Council hadn't known where they were they would have been hunted to the far ends of the galaxy. Master Windu didn't trust either of them and Anakin knew that it would have been even worse after what Obi-Wan had done. So while Anakin didn't really like that they were being watched, he was grateful that the Jedi Council—or more likely Master Yoda –respected them enough to give them some time on their own.

* * *

Slowly returning to consciousness, Obi-Wan was instantly aware that Anakin was awake and staring at him. Obi-Wan snuggled closer to his lover, winding his arms around Anakin's torso. It was far too early to be awake and if he was lucky he could convince Anakin to go back to sleep without difficulty. His lover was rarely in a rush to get out of bed in the morning.

"Can we please go back to sleep?" Obi-Wan yawned against Anakin's sun-warmed chest.

"It's not that early," Anakin chuckled quietly. "Besides, I promised Nolan I'd look at speeder of his this morning."

"Nolan can wait," Obi-Wan grumped, burrowing himself deeper into his lover's embrace.

When Anakin didn't protest, Obi-Wan relaxed in hopes of drifting back to sleep. It was the middle of the harvest season so he and Anakin were usually busy for most of the daylight hours; Obi-Wan in the fields and Anakin repairing the machines that were constantly breaking down. It was hard work, but Obi-Wan didn't mind it because it meant that he and Anakin could live free from the Jedi Council. He didn't have to fear being used as a pawn by people he didn't know just to keep Anakin safe.

"Don't fall back to sleep," Anakin murmured against his temple. "We'll never get out of bed if you have it your way."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I've never heard you complain about it before."

"That's because I usually don't have the breath to complain."

Obi-Wan snorted into Anakin's shoulder, rolling over so that he was lying mostly on top of the younger man. To add further incentive, he pressed his thigh between Anakin's, rubbing firmly against his groin. In no time at all he had Anakin moaning softly and arching his hips upwards.

"You are definitely cheating, my love," Anakin groaned, arching more forcefully against Obi-Wan. "Besides, I thought you wanted to sleep."

"I'm hoping that if I wear you out you'll fall asleep," Obi-Wan murmured as he began to kiss his way to the center of Anakin's chest.

And had his side pinched for his efforts. "I'm not a two year old."

"Of course you're not."

Anakin's scowl was entirely ineffective as the corners of his mouth kept twitching while he fought a smile. As Obi-Wan began to press kisses along his collarbone the smile won out. It hadn't taken Obi-Wan long to discover just how tactile Anakin was. The boy craved being touched and held. He liked it even better when he was the one doing the touching. More than once Obi-Wan had been forced to lie still as Anakin took his time exploring the contours of his body, first with his fingertips then with his lips and tongue.

At the moment, though, it was Anakin who had been turned into a quivering mass. In four months Obi-Wan had had plenty of time to explore Anakin's body and discover all of his sensitive points. He knew where to squeeze when Anakin's neck ached from a day spent bent over an engine; where to massage if he wanted Anakin to relax; where to press when Anakin felt the imagined sting from his imagined right forearm; and where to touch his lips to make Anakin tremble beneath him.

"Obi-Wan, please…." Anakin moaned as he arched his hips upwards.

Holding Anakin's hips still, Obi-Wan pressed a kiss to the dip of flesh where hip and torso met. "You're the one who didn't want to go back to sleep."

This time it was a whimper that slipped past Anakin's lips even as Obi-Wan watched him try to keep silent. Anakin was biting his lips, his eyes squeezed shut tight, while Obi-Wan blew lightly over the skin he had just kissed. By the time Obi-Wan even reached Anakin's erection, the younger man was writhing against the mattress.

Spreading his legs wide as he was able, Anakin sunk his fingers into Obi-Wan's hair and tried to guide his lover's face up towards his own. It took several insistent tugs, but he was able to draw Obi-Wan up his body. He wound his legs around the other man's hips, holding him in place while he arched forward to catch Obi-Wan's lips in a kiss.

"Getting impatient, are we?" Obi-Wan chuckled, nipping lightly at Anakin's chin.

It continued to amaze Anakin just how carefree Obi-Wan had become since losing his memory. Even with the bits that were returning, Anakin had yet to see any of the frustrating stoicism that had permeated his Master's personality before Ranth'fer. Obi-Wan was still quiet and contemplative from time to time, but with each day Anakin saw more of the man Obi-Wan had been when they had first met. Before Master Qui-Gon had died. He was no longer weighed down by ten years of responsibility to a young man who had been forced upon him. Nor did he have to live up to the legacy of his own teachers.

He was simply Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man that Anakin loved with everything in him.

So it was with a gasp and a contented moan that Anakin arched his hips to meet Obi-Wan's initial thrust into his body. The awkwardness that had been there the first few times they'd made love was long gone. Now it was more of a dance; one infused with much more passion and fervor than any of the katas they had mastered over the years.

And when it was over they lay in a panting, sweaty jumble of limbs. Obi-Wan started to roll off him, but Anakin held him still, craving the weight of his lover's body covering him. Even though physically Obi-Wan was the smaller of them, Anakin always felt protected lying in his arms.

With a yawn and a sleepy kiss pressed to Obi-Wan's forehead, Anakin felt himself drifting off to sleep despite his best efforts. The last thing he was aware of was Obi-Wan's quiet chuckle rumbling through his body.

* * *

Grunting, Obi-Wan flopped down on the small hill that sloped down from their back door. He was utterly exhausted. The rains were coming in under a week and they were rushing to finish the harvest in time. Obi-Wan found that he didn't mind the difficult work. In fact he rather enjoyed it. It was fulfilling work that allowed Obi-Wan to take pleasure in the exhaustion that weighed him down each night.

Obi-Wan shivered slightly as a cool breeze danced over his sweat-damp flesh. His shirt was somewhere near his right hand, but he didn't have the energy to pat himself dry. Or even to lift it from the grass. The chill only increased a moment later when someone stepped between him and the sun. Blinking his eyes open slowly, Obi-Wan grinned up at source of the shade.

"Hello, lover," Anakin murmured as he straddled Obi-Wan's thighs, sitting himself on the shorter man's thighs. "Think you can make it to the house?"

"Not while you're sitting on me," Obi-Wan chuckled, arching his back slightly. "How's Nolan's speeder?"

Anakin smirked and set his fists down on either side of Obi-Wan's head, leaning over his prone form. "The speeder's back in working order. So's that bailer that was acting up yesterday."

"Glad to hear it. That'll make tomorrow's work easier," Obi-Wan yawned as he wiggled around a bit to find a more comfortable position on the hill.

"The sun's going to go down soon," Anakin pointed out, his lips brushing against Obi-Wan's cheeks. "It'll be warmer inside the house."

Comfortable as he was, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin was right. This late in the season there was a noticeable chill in the air once the sun went down. The air had already dropped a few degrees since he'd left the field and as much as he enjoyed the sight of Anakin smeared with grease, neither of them would find much pleasure as the temperature continued to drop.

Obi-Wan heaved himself into a seated position which dislodged Anakin from his lap. The younger man landed on his back with a huff of expelled air, staring up at the sky in shock. Chuckling, Obi-Wan ran his hands along Anakin's inner thighs as he bent his own legs up.

"You could have given me a little warning," Anakin snorted, bringing his own hands up to rest on top of Obi-Wan's.

Smirking, Obi-Wan flipped his hands over to grasp Anakin's. "I'll keep that in mind next time you sit on me."

Anakin rolled his eyes before slipping his hands out of Obi-Wan's. Then, pressing his elbows into the soft earth, he rolled himself over backwards so that he ended up kneeling facing his lover a little ways down the hill. Anakin was on his feet a moment later, holding his left hand out towards Obi-Wan.

"Let's go in. I'm starving."

* * *

As soon as he saw the flashing light on their holocommunicator Anakin felt a sense of dread wash over him. In all the time they'd been living on Alderaan there had never once been a message waiting for them. Everyone they associated with lived within walking distance and would come over rather than waste time on the communicator. It was meant only for emergencies.

"We knew this was going to happen," Obi-Wan sighed as he moved past Anakin and towards the 'fresher. "I was a Sith apprentice. I'm surprised the Jedi didn't drag me back and throw me into some deep, dark prison cell. Where I can't hurt anyone anymore."

Anakin hurried after Obi-Wan, latching onto his shoulder and spinning him around. "Stop it right now, we don't even know if that's from the Council."

Taking several deep breaths, Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut tight and leaned into Anakin. As Obi-Wan leaned into him, Anakin wound his arms around the smaller man, holding him as he trembled slightly.

"Sorry about that," Obi-Wan murmured into Anakin's shoulder. "It's probably just Senator Organa calling to check up on us."

"Probably," Anakin agreed, his voice muffled slightly against the side of Obi-Wan's head. "Let's go have a shower then make something quick to eat. Okay?"

"Okay," Obi-Wan mumbled as he pulled away from the younger man.

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan's retreating back for a moment before turning back towards the holocommunicator. He wanted to listen to the message while Obi-Wan was distracted. If it was the Jedi Council, which Anakin feared was the case, he wanted to be the one to tell Obi-Wan after what had happened earlier.

Retrieving the message from the holocommunicator's memory, Anakin was utterly relieved when he saw that the message was from one of the nearby farmers who needed him to look at a compactor. Deleting the message, Anakin was much more relaxed as he made his way to the 'fresher. One day it would be the Jedi Council on the other end, but for the moment he and Obi-Wan were safe.

Palming open the door to the 'fresher, Anakin paused in the doorway in order to properly appreciate the sight. Anakin was a desert boy at heart and the sight of water beading off his lover's skin never ceased to arouse him. The crooked smile directed at him only delighted him more.

"The water's going to get cold if you spend anymore time staring at me," Obi-Wan called over his shoulder before turning his head back under the spray.

Shedding his own clothes, Anakin padded towards the shower unit and slipped in behind his lover. Winding his arms around Obi-Wan's middle, he pressed a kiss to the nape of the smaller man's neck. He stayed that way for several long minutes until Obi-Wan's hands on top of his own brought him back to the present. With a final kiss brushed against his shoulder, Anakin reached around Obi-Wan for the cleanser and sponge so that he could wash his lover's back.

**The End**


End file.
